Haunted
by ChaosInsanity
Summary: After May's fiance Drew dies, she's left heartbroken and alone. Her friends try to help, but nothing works! That is, until she meets a young German Shepard dog. Full summary inside. OOC AU and MayxDrew. Rated for darkness and language. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all. I know I said that Summer Roses would be the only Pokemon fanfic that I write on my own, but I got this idea today while listening to Kelly Clarkson's song Haunted. I was in a dark mood when I started this, it was raining and thundering like hell over here at the time, and I was bored. Yes I'm aware I have other fanfics I need to write, but couldn't resist. So there. Don't hurt me.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. The day I own Pokemon will be the day Sesshomaru dyes his fluff pink, Rin starts hating flowers and Jaken starts being nice, so there.**

**P.S. Sorry if anyone had an idea or story similar to this, I didn't mean to steal it and I swear I'm not copying you.**

**Summary: When May's fiance Drew dies, she's left alone and in shock. Her friends are trying to help her get over his death, but she can't seem to let go. In her grief, she finds a young German Shepard dog and decides to take him home. Can this German Shepard help mend her heart? Or will more heartbreak follow? MayxDrew, a little OOC, AU**

**This was meant to be a oneshot, but I changed my mind. Aren't you all so lucky?**

* * *

Chapter 1

How long had it been? When was the last time she had spoken to him? Seen him? She wasn't really sure, but it had seemed like years since it had happened.

May remembered the horror she'd felt when she'd seen the new report that day. A wild fire had spread through the whole of the woods at the edge of town. Nearby houses had caught fire and slowly but surely the flames spread. According to the news report, May's fiancé Drew, one of the volunteers to help put out the fire, had be trapped in a burning building with several other volunteers while helping a family escape.

Only one of the trapped people survived, a little girl, the daughter of the married couple who'd been trapped in the building, and she was still recouping in the hospital. And those weren't the only deaths that day. Dozens had died—children, adults, teenagers, volunteers. Survivors had been badly wounded by the intense heat and thick smoke, and some were crippled for life.

_**/Louder, louder, the voices in my head**_

_**Whispers taunting all the things you said**_

_**Faster the days go by and I'm still**_

_**Stuck in this moment of wanting you here/**_

When the report had first come out, May had refused to believe it. He'd told her he'd be careful, that nothing would happen. Drew wouldn't lie to her! And they were going to get married! They had been planning a wedding, getting invitations out—and then this had to happen! But eventually May had to believe it: Drew was dead and he wouldn't be coming back.

_**/Time in the blink of an eye**_

_**You held my hand, you held me tight**_

_**Now you're gone and I'm still crying**_

_**Shocked, broken, I'm dying inside/**_

_-Flashback-_

"_Please don't go," May begged. "It's dangerous!"_

"_I'm sorry May, but I have to. This is the biggest wild fire we've ever had, and it's spreading quickly. If it's not put out soon, then it could spread over here and then what? I'm not going to let you get hurt."_

"_But you won't do anything risky?"_

"_I won't," Drew assured her, pulling her into a warm embrace._

"_Promise you'll come back," May whispered, hugging him tight._

"_I promise." He looked at her, and smiled cockily. "Hey, it's me, Drew, remember? I'm not gonna go and get myself killed." When May still didn't look reassured, he said, "Nothing's going to happen, all right? Everything's going to be fine."_

_Drew hugged her again, and gently kissed May's cheek. "I'll be back soon, okay? Don't worry too much."_

_May nodded, and followed him to the front door. Something told her not to let him go, but what could she really do? Drew was too thickheaded and stubborn to listen. Instead, May closed her eyes and prayed silently until they reached the door. When she opened her eyes, Drew was holding a red rose out to her._

_May accepted the rose and looked into Drew's emerald eyes. Deciding to try one last time, she asked softly, "Do you really have to go? I have a bad feeling about this…"_

_Drew gently cupped May's cheek with one hand and locked his emerald eyes onto her sapphire eyes. "What are you worried about? I promised you I'd come back, didn't I? I'm not gonna go back on my word." He kissed her again, and then added, "Pay attention to what's going on. If the fire gets too close, I want you to leave, okay?"_

"_I will, don't worry about me. I'm worried about __**you**__."_

"_What is it with you and worrying?"_

"_Is it so bad that I care about you?!" May demanded, her temper flaring._

"_I never said that. I just don't want you to stress out over all this worrying."_

"_Then stay home!"_

"_Stop acting so childish!"_

"_I am not!"_

_Drew smirked. "That just proved it. Listen, I have to go now, but I'll come back." He hugged her again, and allowed May to rest her head on his shoulder for a while. That's a promise. I love you."_

"_I love you too."_

_-End Flashback-_

_**/Where are you? I need you**_

_**Don't leave me here on my own**_

_**Speak to me, be near me**_

_**I can't survive unless I know you're with me/**_

The first few days had been hard, but everything seemed even harder after the shock had worn off and reality set in. It still felt odd to wake up every morning without Drew to wish her good morning, or to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner without him. The house felt empty without him, and May was slowly sinking into a depression as each day went by. She felt so alone.

She had her friends, of course, but they wouldn't understand the pain she was going through. They were happily married with their husbands still alive and healthy.

May thought about canceling the day's plans to hang out with Misty and Dawn, but decided not too—she needed some fresh air and getting out of the house for a while would be good for her.

May waited until she heard the ringing of the doorbell, and stood to answer it. As soon as the door opened, May's close friends, Misty and Dawn, each grabbed one of her arms and dragged her outside. "Hey hey hey! Wait—!" May protested. "I still have to lock the door!"

"Well hurry up! We have a full day!" Dawn replied loudly as she and Misty released her friend.

May muttered a few curses under her breath, and then asked, "So…what's my torture for today?"

_**/Shadows linger only to my eye**_

_**I see you, I feel you, don't leave my side**_

_**It's not fair, just when I found my world**_

_**They took you, they broke you, they tore out your heart/**_

"Don't be so negative," Misty scolded. "Anyway, we're going to go shopping today, and then we're watching a movie at my place."

"What movie?"

"I don't know. It's Dawn's turn to pick what we watch."

"I'm thinking about just some random movie on TV," Dawn mused thoughtfully. "How does that sound?"

May and Misty just stared at her. "I think I should be scared," May mumbled.

"Hey! What does that mean?" Dawn demanded.

"It means you usually pick some corny movie or something whenever it's 'random'," May retorted. She sighed. "Well, let's just go."

-Later-

"May doesn't seem to be having as much fun as I thought she would," Dawn whispered to Misty.

"Apparently, when Drew died, her love of shopping died too," Misty replied. "But we can't let that stop us. I **will **make her laugh—or smile, or something!—today. The afternoon is still young!" With that, Misty shot off after her moping friend, leaving Dawn behind in a cloud of dust.

Dawn blinked, and stared after her friends. "I still can't get over how Misty does that," she muttered to herself, and then set off after them.

-Later at Misty's-

Later that night, May, Misty, and Dawn were gathered on Misty's couch at her house, staring blankly at the TV screen as Dawn flipped through different channels. "There's nothing good on!" Dawn whined.

"Let's watch a horror movie," Misty suggested.

"No! I hate blood and gore!" Dawn replied loudly. "What about you May?"

"…I'm thirsty." May stood and left the room. A minute later, the light in the kitchen went on.

Dawn and Misty glanced at each other. Misty sighed heavily. "I still haven't made her smile…or laugh."

"This was a waste of time," Dawn growled, changing the channel yet again. "All she's doing is moping around and bringing us down!"

"I guess she hasn't gotten over it," Misty said. "We should just let her grieve for a while, and sooner or later she'll feel better, I suppose."

"Yeah, you're right. I guess I just a little impatient, is all." Dawn flipped to another channel. "Ooh! I love this movie!"

-In the Kitchen-

May sat at Misty's kitchen counter, her head in her hands. She'd heard what Dawn and Misty had said, and she felt bad about ruining their fun, but at least they understood. May lifted her head and blinked wearily. Trembling slightly, she picked up her glass of water and went back into the living room.

_**/I miss you, you hurt me, you left with a smile**_

_**Mistaken, your sadness was hiding inside**_

_**Now all that's left are the pieces to find**_

_**The mystery you kept, the soul behind a guise/**_

May entered the room and saw Dawn staring intently at the screen, while Misty tried to get her attention. "Change the channel!" Misty hissed.

"Why?"

"Just change the damn channel!" Misty snapped.

"A least tell me why!" Dawn retorted sharply. "What's so wrong with this movie?"

May turned her attention to the TV. She sucked in a breath, and swallowed. She recognized this movie.

The setting was dark, and there were two cars on a stretch of road winding through what appeared to be a forest. One of the cars was driving in the wrong lane, and the driver was shouting to the driver of the second car. Headlights appeared in front of the first car, and the driver swerved into the trees to avoid it—

May let out a sharp gasp, and the glass of water dropped from her hand and crashed into the ground, shattering upon impact. Shards of glass scattered across the floor, and a puddle of water seeped into the carpet.

_**/Where are you? I need you**_

_**Don't leave me here on my own**_

_**Speak to me, be near me**_

_**I can't survive unless I know you're with me/**_

Misty and Dawn jumped at the sound, and Dawn exclaimed, "Damn!"

"I told you to change the channel!" Misty shouted in despair.

"I'm sorry! But I haven't seen this movie in a long time, and I forgot what happened!"

"You should've listened!"

"You didn't tell me why! I told you, I haven't seen _Fluke _in a long time. How was I supposed to remember what happened?"

Misty and Dawn turned to May, who had paled and was staring at the TV in horror. Dawn lunged for the remote and clicked the power button. The screen instantly went black. "Are you okay May?" Misty asked gently. "May…?"

"I…I'm fine," May choked out, stumbling a little as she headed for the door. "Listen, thanks for—for helping and all, but I really have to get home."

"May!" Dawn shouted after her friend. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize—"

"It's fine!" May replied, her words muffled as the door slammed shit behind her.

_**/Why did you go?**_

_**All these questions run through my mind**_

_**I wish I couldn't feel at all**_

_**Let me be numb, I'm starting to fall/**_

May ran into her home crying. She loudly cursed at her misfortune, and then rounded on the stuffed German Shepard doll Drew had given to her for her birthday a few years ago.

She picked it up and threw it across the room, cursing loudly. "Why did you leave!?" she shouted. "I told you not to! Why didn't you listen!?"

May collapsed onto the couch, crying and lay there for a half hour until she'd calmed down. Slowly she stood up and carefully approached the stuffed animal, as if fearing it might lash out at her. After a brief hesitation, she dropped down and picked it up, fondling the doll gently. Its black-and-tan fur was slight worn and extremely soft, like the fur of a young puppy. The doll had bright green eyes, and its expression was soft and gentle, and a large plush red rose was sown into its mouth.

May could still remember the day Drew had given it to her.

_-Flashback-_

_May gently tore off the wrapping paper from the gift box Drew had given her and reached inside. She felt something soft, and smiled when she pulled out the gift. It was a plush German Shepard dog, with soft, fuzzy tan fur and black markings. Its eyes were green, and it held a plush red rose in its mouth. May hugged the plush dog tightly, and then rounded on Drew, hugging him as well._

"_Aww, it's so cute!" she gushed. "I love it, thank you!"_

"_It was…nothing, really," Drew replied, blushing slightly._

"_It reminds me of you! It has your eyes and a red rose! It must've been nearly impossible to find!"_

"_It was hard, but worth it, I guess. Do you really like it?"_

"_Of course! I'm going to call it Shuu!"_

"…_Shuu?"_

"_Yes! A cute name for a cute plushy!" May replied. "Thanks again, Drew, really."_

_-End Flashback-_

May hugged the plush gently, and whispered into its ear, "I'm sorry, Drew. I'm not mad at you." Then she stood and placed Shuu on the couch.

_**/Where are you? I need you**_

_**Don't leave me here on my own**_

_**Speak to me, be near me**_

_**I can't survive unless I know you're with me/**_

May sighed as she moved around the house in a slight daze. She shut off the lights, and made sure all the windows were closed and locked, and then double-checked that the front door and the back door were properly locked.

When all that was done, she entered the kitchen and got a glass of cold water. As she poured herself a drink, she guiltily remembered the mess she'd left at Misty's. Placing the half-finished cup of water in the sink, she told herself she'd make it up to Misty and Dawn before shutting off the kitchen light.

Finally, she went upstairs into her bedroom, where she unchanged and took a quick, hot shower to calm her nerves.

_**/(Where are you)**_

_**Where are you? I need you**_

_**Don't leave me here on my own/**_

When she was done, she changed into her pajamas, blow-dried her hair, and brushed her teeth. At last, when she reentered her room, she froze, and stared at her bed. Lying in the tangled mass of sheets and blankets was Shuu; with his large green eyes staring at her, and gentle, almost realistic spark in his eyes. The expression on his face had changed a little, from soft and gentle to caring and understanding.

May shivered slightly, and sat down slowly on the bed. She picked up Shuu, and held up the German Shepard eye level to her. May bit back a sob and hugged the small plush, then placed it beside her, snapped off the bedside lamp, and pulled the blanket over her head.

_**/Where are you?**_

_**(I can't survive unless I know you're with me)**_

_**You were smiling**_

_**You were smiling**_

_**You were smiling…/**_

* * *

**So there, chapter 1. Like Summer Roses, updates migt a little slow, since I'm trying to focus more on my other Inuyasha fanfic, but seeing as I have writer's block for that, you might get lucky and I might update sooner. It just depends. Anyway, like I said, I was in a dark mood when I wrote this, so don't get mad.**

**Also, don't flame me for having Drew die. The story wouldn't work otherwise, but I promise happier moments in the future :)**

**Oh, and also, about the name of May's plush, I know Shuu is Drew's Japanese name -- I gave the plushy that name on purpose.**

**Plus, I don't know if any of you have ever heard of the movie Fluke, but it's this sad movie about a woman's husband who dies, and the is reborn and blah blah blah. Part of the inspiration of this story comes from that, and May, Misty, and Dawn all know the story (Dawn just momentarily forgot) and that's why May freaked out. Check out the movie if you want more clarification.**

**Inuyasha: Is it me, or is the common theme in your stories death, pain, and suffering?**

**Me: Oh? Why would you say that?**

**Inuyasha: Because in every story at least one person dies, a whole lotta people suffer, and there's always mistrust and junk!!**

**Me: No one died in Saving Me!**

**Inuyasha: Sango almost died!**

**Me: Almost!!**

**Inuyasha: And it was my fault!**

**Me: Technically, it was her father's fault, and Miroku's fault, but you can blame yourself if you want to.**

**Inuyasha: ARGH!**

**Me: But there's always a happy ending around the corner!**

**Inuyasha: ...**

**Me: What?**

**Inuyasha: Are you high or something?**

**Me: Yes, no, maybe, why?**

**Inuyasha: Okay, what did you drink and/or eat?**

**Me: Nothing...except two bottles of Mountain Dew!!**

**Inuyasha: ...**

**Me: Don't stare at me!!**

**May: So why do I have to suffer?**

**Me: Ah! How did you get here?! This narration box is reserved for only Me and Inuyasha!**

**Drew: Why the dog?**

**Me: Cuz it's fun to argue with him! ...Ah! How did you get here?!**

**Inuyasha: All you people are crazy! I'm leaving! ...But first, Read and Reveiw!**

**Me: Or else!**

**May, Drew, & Inuyasha: Or else what?**

**Me: I HAVE A MACHINE GUN!! AND MOUNTAIN DEW!!**

**Inuyasha: I'm getting a straight jacket.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Me: Whoo! 2nd chapter!**

**Inuyasha: Why are you so happy?**

**Me: Cuz this is probably my best fanfic ever!**

**Inuyasha: Why...?**

**Me: Cuz about 4 hours after posting chapter 1 I got 10 hits, 1 reveiw, 1 story fave, and 1 story alert!**

**Inuyasha: Bragger...**

**Me: WHAT?!**

**Inuyasha: Nothing. So this is a big deal why?**

**Me: You wouldn't understand. You have no creative talent.**

**Inuyasha: Meanie**

**Me: Say that to my face, dog-boy.**

**Inuyasha: I'd rather not**

**Me: Okay! Someone needs to do the disclaimer cuz I'm too lazy to do it myself**

**Inuyasha: DemonChild (how fitting) doesn't own Pokemon, A Thousand Miles, and she never will. Oh, and she doesn't own Haunted from that last chapter**

**Me: I thought I forgot something...**

**Me: Oh, reveiw if you want me to continue, otherwise this will lie in the corner gathering dust like another of my fanfics**

* * *

Chapter 2

May turned off the ignition and got out of her car, not bothering to lock it, seeing as the cemetery was deserted. The air had a slight chill, and May reminded herself she'd have to make this visit short. The sun was already setting, and the skies had darkened into an ashen grayish color.

May hurriedly followed the path through the gorgeous, meadow-like cemetery. The cemetery had been built on a long stretch of rolling grass hills. Massive hundred-year-old oak trees were frequent. A small river twisted throughout the whole of the cemetery, wound around a hill and several trees, and then snaked back to the edge of the and into the woods that marked the edge of the cemetery.

When May had first moved here, she'd been shocked that such a pleasant place could be a cemetery, but after some serious research, she'd found out about a gang of murderers that had terrorized the town decades ago, and after the murderers were all caught and executed, the townsfolk had come together with the decision to open the cemetery on a calm, beautiful stretch of land to give peace to all those murdered in cold blood.

May followed the stream until it curved gently off to one side around an oak tree. May then walked off in the direction the oak tree's branches leaned towards, until she came to one of the few willow trees in the cemetery. She bent down beside a simple headstone, and gently stroked the rough edges. The text was simple, reading: _Drew Misaschi_, with his birth date and death date, and beneath that was engraved a short poem May had written.

_A rose's many petals_

_So full of life in bloom_

_But every rose must wilt and die_

_Until that day must come  
__I'll hold you tight  
__And cherish every moment  
__Until the winds begin to whisper  
__And tell me to let go  
__When that moment comes around  
__Know that I will say goodbye  
__And open up my hands  
__To the waiting days to come  
__And every petal blows away_

May gently dusted off the gravestone until she could read the words clearly again, and paused to pray, then she whispered, "I'll come back to visit again soon, okay? I'm sorry I couldn't stay long, but I have to go. I'll come earlier next time, though. I promise." May stood up, gave the simple grave another longing glance, she started back up the path to her car.

As May planned her next visit, she stopped at the gate when she felt as though something were watching her. She froze, and gave her surroundings a sweeping glance, then turned around. She saw nothing, and for a moment thought it was her imagination, when she felt the odd sensation again. May turned back in the direction of the cemetery entrance and stumbled back a little in surprise.

Watching her from outside the gate was a young, sleek tan dog, resembling a German Shepard. He had a long black muzzle, paws, tail, and stretch of ebony along his back. His sharp black ears were pricked and angled towards her, and there was a small dash of black on his forehead, and two small black ovals over each eye. The German Shepard dog seemed fit and healthy, but he had no collar, and had a wild look about him. Though she couldn't make out any smaller details about the dog's face, she could a see a reckless glint in his eyes, and he seemed to be challenging her. He seemed to be saying, _Catch me if you can! _May hesitated. The dog **seemed **gentle enough, but…

The dog barked sharply, jarring May from her thoughts and pulling her back into reality. May finally decided to give it a try, and crept cautiously towards the dog. She saw the dog tense, and saw his legs bend slightly. May inched closer, and the dog's eyes gleamed in the semi-darkness. May was an arm's length away now, and slowly reached out to the dog, which let out a sharp bark and sprang away sideways. May glared at him, and then lunged again, only to be sidestepped once more. May gave the dog a dark look, and said, "Listen dog, I don't have time to play. Either you come here right now, or I leave and you die out on the streets."

May almost laughed at the look that crossed the dog's face. _Leave? Why leave? I'm so cute! Don't you want to just come up and take me home?_

"Well dog, have you decided?"

The dog cocked his head to one side and looked at her questioningly. He suddenly became serious, and sat up straight, and barked once as if saying, _Hmm, how about neither? Why don't you come over and catch me, and then we can decide?_

"I'm not playing, dog. If you don't make up your mind now, I'll leave."

He just continued to stare at her, and then he shrugged. _Fine—be that way. _The German Shepard stood and turned away from May, trotting down the sidewalk towards the woods.

May sighed and thought, _well, what can I do? _Still, she felt kind of bad, as if she should've tried harder. May stared after the dog, and after a moment's pause, shouted, "Hey dog! Be careful! It can get dangerous when you're alone." The dog paused for a brief moment, as if waiting for her to say something else, and she added, "Be safe!" The dog continued walking after that, and he twitched an ear back in her direction to show that he heard.

May smiled softly, and turned her attention back to her car. Hoping she'd see the German Shepard dog again. "I wish I tried harder to catch him," May thought out loud. "He **was **kind of cute; what with those markings on his face…" she mused thoughtfully. "If I ever see that dog again, I'll be sure to catch him."

-Several days later-

May was feeling considerably happier than she had been lately, and she'd noticed a drastic change in her attitude—her friends had noticed it too. May wondered if her attitude change had anything to do with that dog she'd seen a few nights ago. She wasn't sure if it did, but if the dog had somehow lifted the grief that had burdened her since Drew's death off her shoulders, then she had to find a way to thank him.

May was downtown, just walking around for a while, window shopping and just generally browsing around absently. She had driven to the cemetery again that day, visited Drew's grave, and then walked the short few miles downtown from there. She was planning on just walking off some stress, and then returning to the cemetery for her final visit of the day—she was also hoping to see that dog again, but so far, she hadn't even caught the faintest trace of him.

_Oh well, _she thought. _I guess today just isn't my day._ May noticed the skies darkening a little to an ashen gray color, and heard the far-off crack of thunder. _I'd better hurry_.

_**/Making my way downtown, walking fast  
**__**Faces pass and I'm home bound  
**__**Staring blankly ahead, just making my way  
**__**Making a way through the crowd/**_

May wove through the gathering crowds of people heading home to avoid the storm and managed to escape the crowded streets. She came onto the road that would take her back to the cemetery, and she let her mind drift after a while. Her thoughts slowly turned to Drew, and she smiled at all the fond memories.

_**/And I need you  
**__**And I miss you  
**__**And now I wonder/**_

May saw the cemetery loom closer, and she suppressed a shiver. She never knew how eerie the cemetery was during a storm, and she didn't want to know. May quickened her pace and reached her car. As she unlocked the door, she felt an urge to look up, and when she did, she saw a sharp-eared shape near the cemetery gate. The shape appeared to be looking at her, and May couldn't help but stare back. Once the shape was sure it had her attention, it barked loudly, and May recognized it as the German Shepard's bark. May quickly placed her keys back in her purse and ran towards the gate.

The dog barked again, and shot off deeper into the cemetery. May groaned inwardly, and looked up at the sky, which had darkened considerably since she'd last checked. May was unsure of what to do—she felt torn. She could just leave and let the dog get soaked through, or she **and **the dog could get soaked through while they play tag. The choices weren't all that great, but May ended up chasing after the German Shepard.

_**/If I could fall into the sky  
**__**Do you think time would pass me by?  
**__**Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles  
**__**If I could just see you  
**__**Tonight/**_

The dog stopped, waiting for her to catch up, and then barked once and took off again. May mentally cursed herself, wondering why she decided to put up with this, but chased after him anyway. The dog turned sharply at the curve in the river and May almost slipped as she tried to follow. She looked up to see the dog standing on the other side of the river, waiting. May jumped over the narrow river and lunged at the dog, missing him by inches. The dog sidestepped, and cocked an ear to her.

May inhaled deeply, and slowly exhaled, trying to calm herself. When she finally turned around, she laughed at the dog's expression. He was staring at her in amusement, with his eyes glittering and doggy-smile on his face. "What are you laughing at?" May asked. The dog's look changed from one of amusement to one of arrogance. He stared at her cockily, with his eyes half-closed, and he seemed to be saying, _You're __**so damn clumsy**__! How did you even get here without hurting yourself?_

_**/It's always times like these when I think of you  
**__**and I wonder if you ever think of me  
**__**Cause every thing's so wrong and I don't belong  
**__**living in your precious memory/**_

My almost fell into the river laughing. The dog had copied Drew's cocky stare almost perfectly! The dog rolled his eyes, and barked again. May stifled her laughter and picked herself up, then continued chasing the dog. The dog glanced at her over his shoulder, barked twice, and then took off full speed towards the willow tree. May sighed inwardly and followed at a much slower pace. When she finally caught up, May found him lying peacefully at the willow's roots.

May snuck up behind him and tackled the German Shepard, gripping his fur tightly to prevent him from escaping. The dog turned his head to look at her and he blinked. _What took you so long? _"Ha! I finally caught you!" May exclaimed. He yawned. _Well look at that, you did. Good for you._

May chuckled to herself, and then dog rolled his eyes again. A drop of rain hit either of them, and both looked up. Rain was staring to fall, and the air had taken on a chill. May looked at him, and for the first time noticed his eyes: deep, bright green eyes. She'd never heard of a German Shepard with green eyes. May smiled as she stroked the dog's head. "You're just like Shuu! How about it? Do you like the name Shuu?"

His tail wagged once, and he cocked his head at her.

"Listen dog, if you agree, then you're coming home with me **now **and you're not to play any more of these games, got it?"

The dog stared at her, his expression filled with boredom. He yawned, and then barked.

"Okay then, that's settled. Come on then."

May stood and slowly released her grip on Shuu's fur, fully expecting him to bolt. He, however, just stared at her, as if to say, _Let go of my fur please. I don't like having my fur pulled._ May hesitated a second longer and finally let go. Shuu looked up expectantly at her. _Can we go now?_

"Give me just a moment, okay Shuu?" May turned toward Drew's grave, and gently touched its smooth surface. Kneeling down, she uttered soft prayer, and opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was Shuu's rigid body standing beside her, stiff, with his green eyes locked intently on the tombstone. When May stood up, he swiftly touched his nose to the headstone and then looked up at her.

_**/Cause I need you  
**__**And I miss you  
**__**And now I wonder/**_

May locked her eyes onto Shuu's, and they both stared at each other for several minutes. "You are one strange dog," she stated simply.

_And you are one strange human._

May reached out and stroked Shuu's forehead, then walked off, heading back to her car with Shuu padding silently beside her.

-Later-

May opened the front door on held it open for Shuu, who walked in with a look of boredom etched on his face. May closed the door and locked it, then entered the living room, searching for Shuu. She felt a twinge of annoyance when she saw him on the couch, with his forepaws dangling lazily over the edge of the couch and his head on the seat.

"Shuu! Bad dog!" May scolded. "Off the couch!"

Shuu turned his eyes towards her, giving her a blank look reading _"I'm not doing anything—you can't get mad at me" _and then closed his eyes.

May shook her head, and sat down beside him on the couch. She stroked his head absently, and turned on the TV. As she flipped from channel to channel, Shuu yawned, repositioned himself, and rested his head on May's lap. May looked down at him and scratched his behind the ear. He turned his eyes toward her, and she just stared. _What?_ May shook her head and Shuu shrugged, then promptly fell asleep.

_**/If I could fall into the sky  
**__**Do you think time would pass me by?  
**__**Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles  
**__**If I could just see you  
**__**Tonight/**_

An hour or so later, May nudged Shuu gently, but he didn't stir. She nudged him again, but he remained unresponsive. May poked his muzzle, and Shuu's nose twitched, but he still didn't wake. May poked him again, and once more his nose twitched. This went on for several minutes until Shuu suddenly lifted his head, blinked, and then hopped off the couch. May turned around and followed his movements until he left the room. After that, May jumped up and followed, coming into the front hall just in time to see Shuu disappeared upstairs.

May bolted up the stairs, and scanned the hallway. The only room with the door open was hers, so she shot towards it and pushed the door open. Shuu was stretched out at the foot of the bed, and when May walked in, he glanced at her briefly, then closed his eyes.

"Hey! Shuu, bad dog! Get off the bed. You're sleeping on the **floor**."

Shuu opened one eyes and gave her a look, then closed it again.

"Shuu, I'm serious!"

_Me too! Now go away and let me sleep._

"Argh!" May let herself fall face down on the bed.

After a moment, she felt something prod at her shoulder, and she lifted her head to see Shuu's glowing green eyes staring into her own blue ones. After a moment like this, Shuu raised his foreleg, and prodded her forehead once, and when May twitched, he turned away and curled up at the foot of the bed again.

"Do you know how annoying you are?" May asked Shuu, who twitched an ear in response. "You just—you just don't listen! You remind em so much of…argh!"

Shuu slowly raised his head and twisted around to stare at her. _Like who?_

"Just forget it. Now, I'm going to go take a hot shower and get ready for bed. When I come back I want you **on the floor**. Got it?"

Shuu didn't even bother to twitch an ear.

_**/And I, I  
**__**Don't wanna let you know  
**__**I, I  
**__**Drown in your memory  
**__**I, I  
**__**Don't wanna let this go  
**__**I, I don't/**_

When May had finished her shower and gotten changed, she prayed silently that Shuu had listened to her and was asleep on the floor. She wasn't all that surprised to see him still passed out on the bed.

May glared at the dog for a moment, and then crawled onto the bed. She positioned herself behind him, and pushed hard at his spine. Shuu jerked awake and scrambled for a foothold, but slipped as May shoved the blankets off the bed, sending the black-and-tan dog rolling onto the ground.

Shuu picked himself up, gave May a dark look, and lunged at her. Growling playfully, Shuu tackled May and grabbed at her bandana, finally gripping it in his teeth. Shuu tugged at the red cloth, and May hastily untied it, laughing as Shuu fell backward. "Oh well, I had to take it off anyway."

Shuu barked loudly and leaped at her again. He hit her hard with outstretched forepaws and this time **he **pushed **her **off the bed. May yelped as she hit the ground, and Shuu peered over the edge of the mattress at her, his expression worried. May tried to glare, but instead burst out laughing at Shuu's serious look. Shuu titled his head to one side, and then wagged his tail, barking happily.

_**/Making my way downtown, walking fast  
**__**Faces pass and I'm home bound  
**__**Staring blankly ahead, just making my way  
**__**Making a way through the crowd/**_

May grinned and pulled herself into a sitting position, resting her arms on the bed. She stroked Shuu's forehead. Shuu leaned forward and nuzzled her gently, then pulled away when May stood up and sat on the bed. "All right Shuu, I give up. You can sleep on the bed tonight. Just try not to make a habit out of it."

_Yeah, sure, whatever._

_**/If I could fall into the sky  
**__**Do you think time would pass us by?  
**__**Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles  
**__**If I could just see you/**_

For an hour May lay in bed, unable to sleep. She stared up at the ceiling fan, following its movements as it spun lazily in a circle. Finally May sat up and moved to the end of the bed, where she absent-mindedly petted Shuu's forehead. After a while, Shuu opened an eye and stared at her in annoyance. _And you woke me up why?_

"I'm sorry Shuu, but I couldn't sleep."

Shuu yawned, shook his head, and repositioned himself so he faced her. He nuzzled her and licked her cheek reassuringly.

"It's hard to believe such an annoying dog could be so sweet and gentle," May remarked thoughtfully.

Shuu's eye twitched, and he growled softly.

"Oh? I'm sorry. Did I offend you?"

Shuu rolled his eyes and nuzzled her again, and rested his head on his paws and closed his eyes. May smiled softly, and hugged Shuu tightly, resting her face in his soft fur.

_**/If I could fall into the sky  
**__**Do think time would pass me by?  
**__**Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles  
**__**If I could just see you  
**__**If I could just hold you  
**__**Tonight/**_

"Goodnight Shuu," May murmured softly into his ear. "Sleep well."

* * *

**Me: So! Chaper 2! Did you like it?**

**Inuyasha: Since when do German Shepards have green eyes?**

**Me: Since I said they could!**

**Inuyasha: You never--**

**Me: I just did!**

**Inuyasha: ... -shrugs- But, wow.**

**Me: what?**

**Inuyasha: This was a _happy _chapter!**

**Me: So?**

**Inuyasha: Happy chapter don't come until like, I don't know, the end.**

**Me: Not true!**

**Inuyasha: Proof. I want proof.**

**Me: Umm...**

**Inuyasha: Thought so.**

**Me: Shut up!**

**Drew: While those two bicker...**

**May: Read and reveiw!**

**Me: I said shut up!**

**Inuyasha: And I said feh!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Early update! Feel special! Yay! 3rd chappy! You should all feel so special that I haven't forgotten about you! How do you like the story so far? Do like it? Doya doya doya? This chapter isn't as sad as the 1st chappy, but it isn't quite as happy either.**

**Inuyasha: So you're torturing people again?**

**Me: I never said that**

**May: Someone just say the discalimer!**

**Me: Ah! You're not supposed to be here until the end of the chapter!**

**May: I got bored!**

**Me: Too bad! Now out!**

**Inuyasha: Don't be mean! After all, you DID kill off her fiance!**

**Me: Yeah, but it's only a STORY! Drew wouldn't let a fire kill him -- he has an Absol :)**

**Drew: While those three argue: DemonChild own nothing. The day she owns Pokemon (or Inuyasha) is the day I loose to Harley. And we all know that could NEVER happen**

**Me & Inuyasha: STOP BRAGGING!!**

**Drew & May: But it's true!**

* * *

May woke up alone in her bedroom, with no signs that Shuu had ever been there. _Did I even really see him? Maybe I imagined everything…?_ As she thought this, she threw back the covers and picked out her outfit for the day. When she was ready, she picked up the cordless phone she kept in her bedroom and tapped in Misty's number.

_Ring…ring…ring…_

May heard a small click, and then: "Hello?"

"Misty? Hi, it's May."

"Oh! Hi May, how are you?"

"A lot better, actually," May admitted.

"That's great!" Misty replied sincerely.

"Hey, do you want to come over? I still kind of owe it to you and Dawn for that other night."

"What? Don't worry about that," Misty assured. "And that would be great."

"Okay then, I'll call Dawn right now. How about around seven? I have to go and do some grocery shopping, and on the way I could rent a movie."

"That sounds great," Misty agreed. "What movie though?"

"Hmm, well, obviously nothing sad," May mused. "I don't want a repeat of what happened at your place. I never really like comedies, love stories are too corny, and all the action and adventure movies either have the same boring plot or just a really crappy ending."

"So that leaves…"

"Yup, horror moves," May confirmed.

"Dawn hates horror movies."

"Well that's too bad, isn't it? I have to go now, Misty. I still have some shopping to do, and I have to call Dawn."

"Okay then. I guess I'll see you tonight."

"Yup." May pressed the end button and dialed Dawn's number, then waited for the Dawn to answer. After several dull rings, someone picked up, and May heard Dawn's sleepy voice through the phone.

"H—Hello…?" Dawn yawned loudly, seemed to wake up a little, and repeated, "Hello?"

"Hi Dawn, it's May."

"Hi May."

"Did you just wake up or something? You sound half-dead."

"Yes, in fact, I **did **just wake up. Actually, **you **woke me up." Dawn stifled a yawn, and then seemed instantly wide awake. "So anyway, what're you calling for?"

"Wanna hang out tonight? I already invited Misty, and I'm planning on renting a movie tonight. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great. What time should I be over?"

"Um…around seven. That's when Misty's coming."

"Okay then. I'll see you tonight th—"

The phone slipped from May's grasp as she entered the kitchen. The doorknob turned slowly, and back door pushed open. May's mouth fell open as a long black muzzle opened the door fully. Shuu calmly trotted into the kitchen, a rolled up newspaper clenched in his jaws, kicked the door closed with a hind foot, and sauntered over the kitchen table, where he lay down and dropped the newspaper at his paws. Without a glance towards May, Shuu prodded the newspaper until it unrolled and smoothened it out with a forepaw. May sputtered in shock as Shuu stared at the headlines and articles, with his bright green eyes narrowed in concentration.

"May? May? **May!**"

May jumped at the sound of Dawn's voice, but hastily bent down and picked the phone back up. "Dawn? I'm sorry, something just…happened."

"What? What is it? Tell me!"

"Umm…right now, I can't, but I'll tell you **and** Misty tonight."

"…Fine. But I won't stop badgering you until you tell us."

May rolled her eyes. "Don't worry Dawn, I won't forget." They hung up afterwards, and May placed the phone on the kitchen table, before rounding on Shuu. "Shuu…" she began warningly as she kneeled down beside him.

Shuu's ear twitched and he tilted his head slightly to one side, giving her a sharp, green-eyes glare. _I'm reading here!_

May blinked once and asked, "Are you sure you're a dog?"

_Oh, yeah, I jut enjoy wearing fur, fake dog ears, a fake tail, and walking around on all fours cause I'm crazy. Makes sense, huh?_

"No dog can unlock a door, open it, grab the newspaper, and come inside and read it. At least, not any dog I've ever met."

_So?_

"In other words"—May leaned closer and yelled into his ear—"**YOU'RE NOT NORMAL!**"

_Maybe I'm just special._

"You're a freak!"

_I like to call it "special."_

"Argh!"

_Rawr to you too, lady._

Shuu looked away from May and turned his attention back to article he was reading. May stared at him for several moments, then leaned in further; examining the article Shuu had opened up to.

**Fire Breaks Out In Nearby Town**

In the neighboring town of Madachies a fire broke out in a factory somewhere downtown. Cause of the fire is remained unknown. Most believe it to be accidental, but police have found some evidence of it being started deliberately and are further examining the case.

The fire spread to a nearby apartment building an almost came into contact with a gasoline station, but the flames were put out before anything serious could happen.

Thankfully no deaths occurred, though a few dozen workers and residents of the apartments were injured and suffer from burns, but nothing fatal.

Shuu furrowed his brow and snarled suddenly, striking out at the newspaper with an outstretched forepaw and sending it skidding across the room. May jumped at Shuu's sudden action and watched him cautiously for any more signs of violence. Shuu continued to growl softly to himself, but after a moment the sounds faded and he looked up at May. _Why are you staring at me like that?_

"Shuu…what just happened?"

_Wha…? Oh, just now? Nothing._ Shuu shrugged his shoulders, and then trotted towards the door. Shuu sat and waited patiently for several minutes. When May didn't respond, he turned expectant emerald eyes to her and barked once, then motioned to the telephone with his nose.

"Oh, that's right. I have some grocery shopping to do." May shot out of the room and Shuu's eye twitched. _I'm surprised she can even remember her own name._

Shuu padded after May and hopped up onto the couch, following May's movements as she grabbed her purse, bandanna, took the cordless back upstairs, and rushed back down. May threw open the front door and almost instantly closed it. "Damn! It's so **cold!**"

May turned to Shuu and threw her arms up in despair. "And I don't know where my sweater is! Shuu, have you seen it? Can you help me look for it?"

Shuu leapt lightly off the couch and trotted around the couch, his nose twitching softly as he sniffed the air. May said a rushed "Thanks" and ran into the kitchen. Shuu dismissed her actions with a flick of his ear and paused in front of the closet. Shuu scratched at the door and barked several times until May reappeared in the doorway. "What? You think it's in there? But I haven't…oh well." May opened the closet door and Shuu slid inside. May wait anxiously as Shuu's silhouette pressed deeper into the dark space; his had bobbed up and down for a moment, and he titled his nose to the air. After a brief pause, he came back out.

"Did you find it?"

_Does it look like I found it?_

"Where could it be?" May asked herself, and Shuu took her hand in his mouth. He pulled her in the direction of the stairs, and May had no choice but to follow. Shuu released May's hand and shot off into her bedroom.

Shuu pawed at the sliding closet door until it inched open. He wedged his paw into the narrow gap and pushed the door open all the way, then bounded inside. May entered her bedroom in time to see Shuu's thick black-and-tan disappear inside her closet. May sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed, waiting patiently as Shuu rummaged around.

Shuu's emerald eyes flashed brightly in the darkly lit room, and he sniffed the air lightly, trotting down the length of closet. The hems of shirts, blouses, pants, and skirts brushed his back, and the edges of the shoe-rack that lined a portion of the wall bumped against his foreleg. Shuu suddenly paused, cocked an ear, and reared onto his haunches. He nosed the clothes around his head for a moment, before snatching at a sleeve and dragging it off the clothes hanger.

The jacket he chose refused to come off the hanger, and Shuu growled threateningly, and pulled harder. He heard a sharp snap as the hook on the hanger broke off the jacket and remains of the hanger fell onto his head. Shuu snarled as he batted the hanger away and shook the jacket off of his nose.

Finally calming down, Shuu took the jacket gently in his mouth and turned back towards the door.

May groaned inwardly when she heard the loud snap and Shuu's angry snarls. _This dog is crazy, _she told herself. _This dog is just plain crazy._

She looked up a minute later to see Shuu backing out of the closet, and her pulse quickened when she saw what he carried: it was a violet jacket with the sleeves cut short—Drew's favorite jacket. **(A/N: anyone familiar with this pairing knows what Drew's purple jacket-sweater thing looks like.)** Shuu sat down before her and held the jacket out to her. When May remained still, Shuu laid the jacket in her lap and nosed her hand gently.

May failed to respond, and Shuu reared onto his hind legs, placing his forepaws on the bed beside her, and touched his nose to her cheek. After a moment, when May didn't respond, Shuu twitched in annoyance and tugged lightly at her hair. After a few seconds of this tugging, May finally turned her attention to Shuu.

She stroked his head and said, "Thanks for helping me find a jacket Shuu."

Shuu cocked his head at her, and stared blankly at her.

"Well, if I still want to hang out with Misty and Dawn, I have to leave **now**," May went on as she slipped into Drew's jacket. Downstairs, Shuu tried to dart outside when May opened the front door, but she firmly held him back and squeezed through the narrow gap and closed the door to a two-inch gap, preventing Shuu from following. Shuu barked, scratching the door and whimpered. "No," May said firmly. "I have to go grocery shopping, and dogs aren't allowed inside. So that kinda closes he argument, wouldn't you agree?"

_No, I wouldn't._

"Whatever, but the point is you can't come." Ay smiled apologetically, and added, "I'll take you on a long walk tomorrow to make it up to you, okay?" Shuu growled in reply. "Don't destroy the house while I'm gone. If you're mad, take it out on squirrel or something. I'll be back soon." With that, May shut the door and a few moments later there was a click as the lock slid into place.

**Shuu's POV**

Shuu felt a twinge of annoyance, and muttered something under his breath before turning away from the door. He hopped onto the couch and stared at the blank TV screen for about a half-hour. "Ugh! Boring!" Shuu bounded off the couch and paced restlessly back in forth in the kitchen.

Finally, in a sudden burst of anger, Shuu lashed out at the wall, leaving behind a set of long claw-marks in the paint. "Umm…uh oh… That wasn't supposed to happen. Umm…maybe she won't notice?"

Shuu cocked his ears towards the back door, and eyed the doorknob thoughtfully. _She didn't lock the door…so I might be able to open it again._ Shuu placed his forepaws against the door to steady himself and slowly reared up. Keeping himself balanced with one paw, Shuu batted at the doorknob repeatedly until her heard a soft click and felt the door move beneath his weight. Shuu quickly jumped back and clasped the doorknob in his jaws, and staggered backward. Shuu lost his balance as his foot slipped over the smooth kitchen tiles and he fell back, losing his grip on the doorknob. The door swung open and hit his back, sending him sliding a few feet away.

Muttering a few dark curses a dog shouldn't know, Shuu stalked outside, where he snapped at a fallen tree branch, breaking of a smaller length of wood. Shuu jabbed the stick roughly into the doorway and pulled the door close, satisfied that he wouldn't have a hard time opening the door when he came back.

Shuu wandered around aimlessly in the backyard for ten minutes, utterly bored, and finally stopped at the fence. Shuu examined the tall wooden boards before him and calculated his chances of making the jump. They weren't all that great. Shuu merely shrugged and tensed his muscles, preparing to jump. Shuu's muscles rippled beneath his pelt as he readied himself, and then with a powerful kick of his hind legs had launched himself into the air.

Shuu extended his forepaws and hit the fence, then kicked off again with hind legs. He landed a little roughly on his paws, and felt a sting in the pad of his left foreleg. Besides being a little dazed—and cutting open a pad—he was completely fine. Shuu shook his head to clear his mind and then trotted off down the driveway, wondering where to go.

**May's POV**

May walked up and down the length of the aisles at the local shopping mart. _What to buy, what to buy, what to buy._ She knew she'd need popcorn and drinks for tonight, as well as something to cook for dinner. Without noticing, she'd walked right into the pet's aisle, and she remembered she had absolutely no pet things.

_Let's see…_

May thought about purchasing a large, velvet pet bed, but decided against it—Shuu had made it very clear he didn't curl up on the floor and stay there like a good dog, so she moved on. Remembering Shuu's angry before she left the house, she thought, _I think I'll get him something to take his anger out on. Hmm…should I get him a bone or teddy bear? …Knowing him, Shuu would probably shred the bear in a matter of moments; then again, he's also capable of snapping a bone in a fraction of a second. So…I'll just get both!_

"Okay, now, about food…"

**Shuu's POV**

By this time, Shuu had self-consciously made his way to the park, a wide-open area with lush, thick green grass, hundreds of oak trees, and plenty of running space. Shuu cocked an ear, and shot off into the woodsy part of the park. He pelted down the forest path and felt a rush as the wind tore through his fur and tugged his ears flat.

Shuu skidded to a stop, blinking in confusion as he wondered why he stopped. He'd just felt the undeniable urge to stop, but why he didn't know. Shuu scanned the edges of the trail, and his nose twitched as he picked up a somewhat similar fragrance. Following the scent, Shuu left the path and pushed through the underbrush until he came upon a more secluded path, which appeared unused and unknown.

Shuu scented the air again, and turned sharply. He tore off down the path and came to stop some hundred yards away. Shuu finally found what had caught his attention: a rosebush. The roses were a deep shade of crimson, and in full bloom. A few drops of dew still remained on the soft red petals, and a sweet smell filled the air and hung around the rosebush and surrounding areas.

Shuu gently nosed the bush, and used a forepaw to part the branches. Mesmerized, Shuu attempted to bite off one of the roses, but a sharp pain filled his mouth and he tasted blood. Pulling away sharply, Shuu was jerked out of his trance and he glared sourly at the bush.

"Damn it," he cursed. "I forgot how sharp those thorns were."

Realization hit him as what he said sunk in. "Wait…this is the first time I've ever seen a rosebush. How would I…?"

Shaking away the thought, Shuu paced back in forth in front of the rosebush, trying to figure out a way to snap off a rose without bleeding to death. After several more failed attempts, Shuu snarled at the rosebush and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Damn thorns!" Shuu swore.

"Something wrong, buddy?"

Shuu whirled at the voice, his fur bristling and fangs bore. Staring at him from a sitting position a little farther down the path was a medium sized sheepdog. He had shaggy, tangled black and white fur, though the blacker spots were graying somewhat. His eyes were hidden beneath a thick white forelock. The dog padded closer without a trace of fear, and halted beside Shuu. "Flatten your fur and cover your fangs—I mean no harm."

Shuu straightened up from his attack position and forced his fur to lie flat. "Well, who are you?"

"I'm Jaiko," the dog replied calmly, inhaling a deep breath of the rose-scented air. "I live around here. So, what do you need the rose for?"

"…I don't really know. I guess..." Shuu shrugged. "I don't know."

"Hmm, well, I can show you a way to pluck a rose without hurting yourself. Just watch." Jaiko shuffled closer and scanned the many roses until he found the one he liked. Jaiko placed his large forepaws on the branches surrounding the rose and pushed them away. He leaned forward, pressing his face as close to the base of the rose as possible and curled back his lips. He angled his upper and lower left canine teeth above and beneath the stem and prepared to bite down. Before he did, however, he pulled away and let the branches snap back in place.

"Why didn't you bite off the rose?" Shuu asked.

"I'm only showing you, boy. I have no need for a rose today, so it would just be a waste of life. Besides, **I **liked this one. Just because I liked it doesn't mean you will. So I'll leave the choosing to you."

"Oh. Okay then." Shuu furrowed his brow and studied each rose carefully until he found the one he liked: a large, full blood-red rose with thick, soft petals. Shuu copied what Jaiko had done, and carefully parted the branches. Leaning in close, he curled his lip back and nipped at the base of the rose a few times until the rose fell loose. Shuu shot forward quickly and gently caught the rose in his mouth. When he looked up, Jaiko was already making his way back down the path. "Um, thanks for the help, Jaiko!"

"Not a problem, young one," Jaiko replied kindly. "Remember how to get here—if you ever need help just come back to the rosebush. I'll be sure to find you."

**May's POV**

Now that all the groceries had been purchased, May stopped by the local movie rental store, and browsed around the horror section. May shivered and pulled Drew's jacket tighter around her. Despite the cold outside, the air conditioning **inside** was on really high, and May's fingers were beginning to numb. May hurriedly scanned the titles of the movies on display and felt a twinge of annoyance when she didn't find anything that sounded interesting.

"I guess this is just another one of those things Drew's better at," she muttered to herself. Suddenly, something caught her eye and reached for a DVD titled "The Omen." The name sounded familiar, and she had a vague memory of watching it once before…but when…? "Oh! That's right!" she cried out, the memories suddenly flooding back.

_The Omen _had been the last horror movie she'd watched with Drew. May felt a pulse of sorrow flow through her veins, but she brightened up almost immediately. "Well then," she told herself, "if this was the last horror movie I watched with Drew, then it'll be the first I watch without him." With her newfound confidence, May took the movie case to front desk to make the rental.

-Later-

May unloaded the groceries and took them to the front porch, where she proceeded to unlock the front door. The first thing she saw was Shuu waiting for her happily just outside the doorway. The second thing she was a large, bright red rose held gently in his jaws.

May trembled slightly, and asked softly, "Shuu…where did you get that?

Shuu cocked his head, and the spark in his eyes faded, giving him a downcast appearance. _What? Don't you…like it?_

May took a deep breath, and bit her lip.

_-Flashback-_

_May scowled at her rival, Drew. He annoyed her so much sometimes! She hated his cocky smile and the arrogant way he spoke to her! And yet…whenever he looked at her with those bright emerald eyes her pulse started to race, and she could feel her face heat up. What was wrong with her? Could she actually…like him? She couldn't deny it anymore._

_She wondered if he liked her, and to what extent. _

"_Hello? Are you still alive?"_

"_Wha…?"_

"_You spaced out, idiot."_

"_I am not an idiot! And I didn't space out!"_

"_Sure, sure, of course you didn't. I just imagined that faraway look in your eyes," Drew retorted._

"_Good. At least we're on the same page."_

_Drew rolled his eyes. "It's getting dark out," he said, changing the subject. "You should get home; it's pretty dangerous to be out alone at night."_

"_Are…are you worried about?" May asked, a little surprised._

_Drew flushed a little, and replied, "No. I'm just saying, is all."_

"_You __**were**__ worried about me!"_

"_Think what you want, but I was just stating a fact."_

"_Hmm, whatever you say, Drew," May responded lightly. "Night Drew. See ya around"_

"…_Hey May."_

"_Yeah?" May turned around in time to see a full red rose fly through the air towards her. May caught it, a little stunned._

"_Stay safe tonight, all right?"_

"_Umm, right Drew." May smiled softly. "Goodnight."_

"_Night."_

_-End Flashback-_

Shuu's shoulders sagged, and he hung his head.

"Oh, Shuu, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings; I love it really," May assured her downcast pet. "It's just…that reminds me of him, that's all."

_Of who?_

"Help me take the groceries inside and I'll show you afterwards," May promised as she took the rose from Shuu's jaws. "Thanks Shuu."

Shuu kept his head lowered and ears flat as he picked up the plastic grocery bags and carried them inside. He shuffled back and forth between the front hall and the kitchen, bringing the groceries in and placing them at May's feet while she put them away in the cupboards, refrigerator, and pantry. When he had picked up the last of the grocery bags, he pushed the door shut with his muzzle and batted at the lock until it slid into place before carrying the last bag into the kitchen.

Shuu curled up under the kitchen table and followed May's movements as she put away the remaining groceries. When she was finally finished, May picked up the rose—which she had laid on the kitchen table where it wouldn't get damaged—and called to Shuu, "Come on boy."

Shuu slowly crept out from underneath the table, still a little wary.

"It's okay Shuu," May told him as she gently stroked his forehead. "I'm not mad. Come on."

She led him upstairs into her bedroom and stopped in front of a large dresser in the corner of the room. She had about half a dozen framed pictures on the top of the dresser, one of them containing her and two girls about her age who Shuu presumed to be friends. He had the vague memory of having seen them before, but he couldn't remember all that much. Maybe he had just glanced at the photos but hadn't really processed the images?

May pointed the largest of the pictures, which had a fancy border edge and stood in the middle of all the other photos. In the photo was May herself, standing behind a boy at least two years older than herself, with green hair and emerald eyes the same shade of green as Shuu's. In the photo, May—in a red short-sleeved blouse, black shorts, and a red bandana—had her arms wrapped around the boy's shoulders, with her head leaning against his. The boy had one hand over May's left hand, and was smirking into the camera. In the photo, the boy wore a long-sleeved black T-shirt, light colored jeans…and the same jacket May had worn today.

May sighed, and whispered, "That's Drew. He died a few months ago in a wildfire. We were going to get married soon, too."

Shuu flattened his ears, upset he had accidentally made her relive any painful memories.

"It's okay Shuu," May said, stroking his soft fur. "It's not your fault. You didn't know."

Shuu still felt a sense of guilt, and leaned forward, touching his muzzle to the picture. As soon as his nose touched the glass, he felt a jolt, and pain filled his veins. Feeling as though he'd just been electrocuted, Shuu staggered back, the pain dulling his senses and blurring his vision.

"Shuu! Are you okay?" May demanded.

Shuu grunted, and stumbled around until he hit the side of the bed. Instantly he went limp and leaned into the mattress, dazed and confused.

"Shuu! Shuu! Come one, get up!" May begged.

Shuu blinked his eyes groggily, and looked up at her, his sight clearing up in an instant as he struggled back onto his paws. Shuu blinked several times, and looked around the room. _Where am I…? I don't remember… _Shuu suddenly jerked his head back in May's direction, and jumped, his eyes widening. _May!_

* * *

**Kay, I know what you're thinking: What the hell just happened? I know it's kinda confusing but just bear with me. Everything will be clear by the end...I hope**

**Inuyasha: What do you mean "I hope"? Aren't you the author?! Shouldn't you have these things planned out?!**

**Me: I like to just let it flow**

**Inuyasha: Grr...I'll let my Wind Scar "flow" over you!**

**May: Hey! Don't kill her! She's the authoress! If you kill her now, then you'll never appear in her latest Inuyasha story!**

**Inuyasha: -pauses- Hmm, good point. -glares at me- You've just been spared**

**Me: -sticks out tongue-**

**Drew: (to May) They enjoy fighting, don't they?**

**May: Ooh! Do you think they like each other?**

**Inuyasha & Me: WHAT DID YOU SAY!?**

**Drew: If I were you, I'd run**

**May: Agreed. -runs away-**

**Me: Get back here! -turns to audience- Read and reveiw! -turns back to May- GET BACK HERE!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Dedication: I don't normally dedicate chapters or anything, but I WILL dedicate this one to Beautifly-Soul cuz 1st: She was the first to reveiw my story, and 2nd: She's reveiwed every chapter, so I just HAD to dedicate this to her**

**Me: OMG! Update!**

**Inuyasha: -eating Ramen- Huh, wha?**

**May: ...Does he always eat like that?**

**Me: What? Oh, him? Yeah, he always eats like a pig. You get used to it after a while.**

**Drew: ...**

**May: Hello? Drew, are you still alive?**

**Inuyasha: No. DemonChild killed him off. Remember?**

**Me: IT'S JUST A STORY!!**

**Drew: OMG!**

**Inuyasha, May, & Me: WHAT?!**

**Drew: What?**

**May: What?**

**Inuyasha: Wha?**

**Drew: What?**

**May: Nani?**

**Drew: Exactly**

**Me: O.O Um, odd, but okay. Someone disclaim now while I get over the shock of this...outburst**

**May: DemonChild does not own Pokemon or Inuyasha, or any of us in this Narration Box...However, she DOES own a cute Roselia toy**

**Inuyasha: Out of all the Pokemon out there, you chose ROSELIA?!**

**Me: It was so cute and huggable and...and...Oh bite me dog-boy!**

**Inuyasha: Grr...listen here --**

**May & Drew: ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

Shuu avoided May the rest of the day, and May stayed out of his way as well. He walked from room to room in a daze, his eyes glazed and misted. May warily watched the German Shepard, wondering what had caused such a drastic change in attitude.

"Shuu?" May called gently.

Shuu jumped at her voice and whirled to face her, fangs bore and fur bristling. After a moment, his eyes cleared a little, and a spark of recognition flashed, and his fur flatted.

"Shuu, are you okay?"

Shuu's ear twitched, and he inched away from her.

"Shuu, you can't act like this while my friends are here. Understand? If this is going to be a problem, maybe you should just leave."

Shuu growled at this, and stalked off to some dark corner of the house with flattened ears.

May sighed, wondering. _Should I have really brought him home?_ The doorbell rang just then, and May put the thought away for later. She answered the door, and was greeted by her two smiling friends, Misty—dressed in a light red long-sleeved sweater-type shirt and jeans—and Dawn—in a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, with a heavy pink scarf and matching pink gloves, with a pair of jeans.

"So May, you certainly seemed to be in a good mood when we talked over the phone," Misty began. "Does that mean the majority of your grieving is done?"

"Well, not completely, but I do feel so much better than before."

"That great news," Dawn replied sincerely. "Hey, what movie did you rent?"

"You'll see soon enough," May said. "I'll go get it." Misty and Dawn sunk down into May's couch as they waited for their friend to get the movie.

"If she refused to tell me what movie she chose," Dawn began, "then it's a horror movie for sure."

Misty, pretending to be completely oblivious, responded lightly, "Oh, don't worry so much, Dawn. I'm sure she chose a great movie. Privately she thought, _Great enough to give Dawn nightmares for months._

May returned shortly thereafter, and was humming a pleasant tune to herself, which only increased Dawn's sense of dread. May picked up the remote, pressed the power button and the proceeded to turn on the DVD player and insert the DVD. After several minutes, May sat down beside Dawn and smiled as she waited for the min screen to come up. When it did, Dawn paled and moaned.

"_The Omen_?" she whined. "You rented _The Omen?_ I'm so outta here."

"So you're not!" Misty exclaimed as she and May each quickly grabbed one of her arms and dragged her back onto the couch. "You're watching this movie and you'll like it."

Dawn groaned, and buried her face in her arms. "Damn you all."

May giggled, and then said, "Don't let her leave, Misty. I don't care if you have to tie her to the couch, but she's not to leave. I'm going to go make popcorn." May stood up, and was about leave the living room when she heard the refrigerator door slam shut. Misty and Dawn jumped, and followed May's gaze.

A moment later Shuu padded into room, holding a water bottle in his jaws. He calmly made his way into the living room, ignoring a twitching May, where he stopped in front of the couch and stared at Dawn and Misty.

"Umm, May…?"

"Yes Misty?"

"Why does that dog have a water bottle?"

"More importantly," Dawn added, "since when do you have a dog?"

"Since yesterday."

"He's glaring at me," Misty informed.

"At me too," said Dawn.

"This is Shuu," May introduced. "Shuu these are my friends—"

Shuu turned around to glare at her. _Yeah, yeah, I know. Now get them out of my seat!_

"Sorry guys, but Shuu here likes to thinks he's a human."

"Hmm." Misty leaned in closer until she was eye-to-eye with Shuu, who growled. _Personal space—ever heard of it? _"Shuu's a German Shepard right?" When May nodded, Misty went on: "I may not know a lot about dogs, but I'm pretty sure German Shepard dogs aren't supposed have green eyes."

_Just figured that out?_

Dawn leaned in closer too, and Shuu's eye twitched. "I have a cousin who's raised German Shepard dogs all his life, and never once has he had a German Shepard with green eyes."

"Yes, as I've told him before, he's a **freak**!"

_It's called being special! _Shuu growled through the water bottle and turned back to her.

"You're not special—just freakish!"

_I'm special and that's all there is to it!_

May narrowed her eyes and matched Shuu's glare.

This went on until Dawn remarked, "Really Misty, who do they remind you of?"

"With all that arguing—even if dogs can't talk—kinda makes you think Drew's come back, doesn't it, Dawn?" Misty mused.

"Oh, he's just a dog!" May retorted sharply, to which Shuu rolled his eyes and padded out of the room. "Well, I still have to make the popcorn. Oh, and Dawn?"

"Yes?"

"You still have to watch the movie."

"Damn!"

-Later-

Sometime during the movie Shuu had wander back into the room, holding the water bottle at a complicated angle and lay down beside the couch, where he placed the water bottle between his paws to reveal he'd somehow managed to gnaw off the cap. May noticed that throughout the film, Shuu's eyes were trained on the TV, and his stare was sharp and intense. Beneath his pelt, his muscles were tensed he seemed stiff.

During the part where Keith Jennings was decapitated by a pane of glass atop a runaway truck **(A/N: I'm talking about the old one, the originally; not the 2006 remake)**, while Dawn covered her eyes, saying, "This is why I hate horror films!" and Misty uttered a loud "Ugh!" Shuu had sat up straight, his eyes flashing in excitement as the movie neared its conclusion.

Misty, who had noticed Shuu's odd behavior, stretched her arm across Dawn's head and nudged May. "Hey, what's wrong with Shuu?"

"Hmm? What?" May followed Misty's gaze, and Dawn, who had let her curiosity get the best of her, uncovered her eyes and looked as well.

"He seems…almost **thrilled** by that guy's death," Misty said.

"I guess it's a guy thing," May replied with a slight shrug.

"Yeah, a **guy** thing," Dawn corrected. "As in, **human**. I've never heard of a dog that watches and enjoys horror movies before."

"If you remember correctly, **Shuu is a freak**!" May said, emphasizing that last part.

Shuu calmly glanced at her over his shoulder and gave her a blank look. _I'm special. How hard is it to understand that?_

Dawn snickered. "It's so funny they way he gives you those looks. He almost looks human—if it weren't for that fur, that is."

By the time the credits were minutes away from rolling, so Dawn stood, stretched, and said, "Well, it's been great hanging out with you—and it's great you've come out of your depression. It's getting late though. I'd better leave."

"Yeah, me too, but it was fun hanging out with you two. Let's do this again sometime, all right?"

"That's fine," May replied as she led her friends to the front door. "Drive safely! Goodnight."

May closed the door and rounded on Shuu, who had appeared at the foot of the stairs with the empty water bottle held in his jaws. As May advanced, Shuu calmly sat down, dropped the water bottle, and looked up at her with an innocent look on his face. _What?_

"Shuu, next time, I expect you to behave, got that? I don't want any of your weird behavior, and I especially don't want you to freak out my friends, understand? If this happens again then I'll—"

_You'll what?_

"Just never mind," May muttered. She locked the front door and, after flipping all the lights off, she headed upstairs with Shuu trailing behind, looking rather bored. The moment May opened the bedroom door Shuu shot in and hopped up lightly onto the edge of the bed, where he curled up peacefully and stared up at her innocently through one open eye as she loomed up before him, glaring.

"I told you not to make a habit of this."

_Two nights won't make a difference. Now bug off. I wanna sleep._

Reluctantly May gave in and scratched Shuu behind the ear before going to change for bed.

-Next Morning-

May was awoken by the eerie feeling of someone watching her. She sucked in a deep breath and opened her eyes. She found herself staring into a pair of bright emerald eyes, and almost jumped in shock. After a moment she sighed in relief and murmured, "Shuu, don't scare me like that." She was about to roll over and pull the covers over her head when she felt Shuu's paw curl around her shoulder and pulled her back roughly. She shook him off and tugged the blanket over her head, only to have Shuu grip the blanket tightly between his teeth and tear them away sharply, causing her to roll off the bed and hit the floor hard.

"Shuu!" she shrieked angrily. "What was that for?!"

Shuu regarded her furious expression calmly, and cocked an ear toward her. _You promised me a walk. I want it now. Get up. Get ready. We're leaving soon._

"Since when do you make the decisions?"

_Since now._

"You really annoy me."

_Well, ready now?_

"Aren't you impatient," May sneered sarcastically.

_Yes I am. Let's go._

"I loathe you so much right now."

_Good, good. Get your anger out. …Now let's go._

-1 Hour Later-

Shuu padded along calmly beside May, cocking his ears every which way at the slightest sound. His bright green eyes seemed to follow every movement, no matter how small, and he seemed to be aware of everything around them. May observed the black-and-tan dog with interest. _There's something so weird about that dog, _she thought to herself. _He's a dog, and yet he acts like something more. It's not possible for a dog to act like he does._

May shrugged and suddenly noticed Shuu wasn't beside her anymore. "Shuu!" she shouted. "Shuu, where are you!"

As if in reply, she heard his growl, and she could tell he didn't seem all that please. May quickly pinpointed the growls and rushed off in that direction. She easily found Shuu in the near-deserted park, and he had cornered a young man about May's age. The boy looked up and noticed May, breathing a sigh of relief. "May, is this your dog?"

May instantly recognized her childhood friend, Brendan, whom she hadn't seen in a couple of months, and replied, "Yeah, he is. I'm sorry." May came up behind Shuu and scolded, "Shuu, no, heel." Shuu growled and curled his lip, glaring at her from the corner of his eye. "Shuu, now. I mean it."

Shuu gave Brendan one final loathing glare, before padding obediently to May's side.

"I'm sorry about that," May apologized. "I don't know what came over him. He usually doesn't act like this."

"It's fine," Brendan assured. "I **am **a stranger to him, after all."

"Well, anyway, what are you doin here?" May asked, wanting to change the subject. "I haven't seen you in months."

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to see how you're doing."

"…I'm okay, I guess," May said, starting to feel a little upset. "I still miss Drew, though."

Brendan cringed when May mentioned her deceased fiancé's name, but forced a smile and said, "Well, I suppose you can't get over something like this so soon, huh?"

"You wouldn't believe how much it hurts," May replied, feeling a stab of pain as the conversation forced her to reopen old wounds. "It was such a big shock when I got the news…" Tears filled her eyes and blurred her vision, and she hastily looked towards the ground, closing her eyes to stop the unshed tears from falling.

Shuu sensed May's grief, and felt his hackles rise as he turned a cold, green-eyed glared towards Brendan. When he scented the salty tang of May's tears was when he allowed his fur to bristle. Curling back his lip, Shuu snarled threateningly at Brendan, who backed up fearfully and chuckled nervously.

"Um, May, a little help…here?"

Shuu snarled again, and advanced dangerously, his eyes flashing with an undisguisable look of fury.

May heard Brendan's pleas and looked up in time to see Shuu prepare to lunge, and she quickly called, "Shuu! Back off!"

Shuu felt a jolt of rage in his veins when he heard May's command, but he forced his fur to lie flat and allowed his lips to cover his fangs again. Shooting one last dirty look at Brendan, Shuu flattened his ears in a hostile manner and returned to May's side.

"I'm really sorry about this Brendan," May apologized sincerely. "I really don't know what's wrong with him today. Um, I guess I'll see you around sometime…" May avoided Brendan's gaze and tugged at Shuu's ear lightly. "Come on Shuu. We're cutting this walk short."

Shuu growled under his breath and grudgingly followed May, but not before glancing one last time over his shoulder at Brendan, who was eyeing May, and curling back his lips in a threatening way. The murderous glint in Shuu's eyes was absolutely clear: _Say your prayers, bastard. Next time you make May cry, I'll rip out your organs and strangle you with them._

Brendan visibly paled when he saw the look in Shuu's eyes, and felt a pang of fear pulse through his veins.

* * *

**Me: One guess as to why Shuu hates Brendan**

**Drew: It's so painfully obvious --**

**May: DON'T GIVE AWAY THE ENDING! -tackles him-**

**Inuyasha: Um...**

**Me: Well this is new**

**Drew: GET OFF OF ME!!**

**May: Promise you won't give away the ending!**

**Drew: Fine! I promise! Now GET OFF!**

**May: Okay -calmly gets up and walks away-**

**Me: O.o I will never live this down**

**P.S. Sorry about the short chapter. I kinda ran out of ideas :)**

**Me: Hmm...I think I might have to change one of the categories to mystery, don't you?**

**Inuyasha: Well no der**

**Me: NO RAMEN FOR YOU! -snaps fingers-**

**(All the ramen disappeared and reappears in an indestructable vault with no way os getting in or out unless I say so)**

**Inuyasha: SOB!**


	5. Chapter 5

**OMG, spoilers! If you don't have even a SMALL clue after this, then you're just dense - no offense, but it's true. Oh, and remember, reviews make me happy and tell me that you like the story, so review, okay? Please? I even went to the Reveiws section and allowed for annonomyous (sp?) reveiws, cuz I didn't know I had it off.**

**Inuyasha: Dense...  
Me: What now?  
Inuyasha: -mutters- nothin'...  
May: So, now Shuu hates Brendan?  
Drew: Yes. Did you not read the last chapter?  
Me: Be nice! Not everyone can follow the plot  
Drew: I just thought May was smarter than this  
May: WHAT?!  
Drew: You heard  
May: Well, I'm not the one who shouted "OMG!" in the last chapter!  
Drew: It was fun to see your reactions -smug look- Not only that, but a chapter ago you ATTACKED me  
May: I had good reasons  
Drew: Sure, sure  
Inuyasha: -eating popcorn- They really DO like each other, don't they?  
Me: ZOMG! You just realized that? Stupidity alert stupidity alert!  
Inuyasha: Grr...  
Me: Now, someone disclaim before I have to bring Sesshomaru into this!  
Inuyasha: What? No! I LIKE this job...besides, it helps me get away from Kagome...she "SITS" me too much  
May: Since I haven't disclaimed latley --  
Drew: You disclaimed the last chapter!!  
May: Did I?  
Drew: Yes!  
May: ...Oh, whatever. DemonChild doesn't own Pokemon or Inuyasha and never will. The day she own Pokemon will be the day I go out on a date with Brendan without Drew getting jealous OR attempting murder  
Drew: -scheming in a dark corner-**

* * *

Shuu was fidgety the rest of the day after coming home. That encounter with Brendan had rubbed him the wrong way, and he hadn't liked the way May had jumped to the boy's defense so quickly. Something wasn't right about that kid. The thought just made him snarl in anger and lash out at the nearest inanimate object—which happened to be the teddy bear May had gotten him yesterday.

Shuu tackled the plush so hard it sent him skidding across the floor. Snatching up the bear in his jaws and pressed it into the ground with his forepaws and tore a massive rip in its back within seconds. Stuffing flew from the bear and filled Shuu's mouth and he viciously bit and clawed at the brand-new toy.

Within another minute or so he had torn off the arm and was gnawing it to shreds. When the bear's left arm had been reduced to confetti he wheel around and lunged at the bear again, this time tearing the thing's other arm and right leg off without even trying. Rounding on the torn and mutilated remains of the bear Shuu sprang at and tore open as many holes as possible, ripping it up in as many places as possible.

After that Shuu proceeded to tearing out all of the stuffing and scattering it around the room. Soon all that was left was a badly mutilated bear skin, and Shuu still hadn't released all his anger. Shuu gave the bear the Evil Eye and cursed the weak fabric.

May, who had heard all the ripping and snarling but was to afraid to check, peered around the doorway and looked into the living room. She blinked several times, as if trying to register what she saw. There was stuffing scattered all over the floor, and small, shredded bits of what appeared to be the stuffed bear she had bought for Shuu yesterday.

Shuu's ear twitched and he jerked his head around sharply to glare at her. She didn't like the dark look she gave him, so she quickly retreated back into the hallway and shot up the stairs. A few moments later Shuu heard her bedroom door slam and the lock click into place. Shuu snorted at May's fears and trotted over to the couch, where he jumped onto the cushion and curled up tensely, his forepaws dangling limply over the edge of the seat. Before long, Shuu's anger had faded away and was soon replaced with the desire to sleep. Not long after that, Shuu had drifted off.

* * *

_Where was he? He didn't recognize this place…everything was blurred. He couldn't see. Slowly his sigh cleared up, but he still couldn't tell where he was. There was someone with him. Who…? Familiar…he knows her. But who…he can't remember. She's crying…a voice tells her everything will be all right. She sounds like she doesn't trust him…but she lets him go._

_But go where?_

_It's dark outside—it's late. He knows that much. But…why would he leave so late at night? It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense._

_He didn't know how long he drove._

_He got out of the car, and instantly smelled smoke. Thick clouds of it was pouring into the air, staining the gorgeous inky black night sky dark, murky gray. He didn't like this. He felt uneasy. An amber flare caught his attention. Giant flames were leaping from tree-to-tree. Spreading. That's what was happening: the fire was spreading._

_It had to be stopped._

_But it couldn't be easy to stop such a big flame._

_Someone called him._

_Who?_

_Did he know this person…?_

_No._

_This was a stranger. A complete stranger. But he went over to help anyway. The person pointed him in the direction of charred, burning house. The stranger said something—but their words were slurred. He couldn't understand._

_But he ran over to the house, despite the overwhelming desire to turn back and race home._

_He heard cries from inside the building. The heat was amazing. How could anyone stand this? It was incredible he didn't turn to ashes just by standing so near! He shuddered, inhaling a deep breath of smoke, which resulted in a violent coughing fit._

_Someone rushed passed him, paused and mumbled a few words of concern, which he quickly brushed away. The person shrugged and raced into the flaming house, with him following close behind._

_He was instantly lost in a cloud of smoke. He couldn't see at all. The smoke was strangling him. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on, but a fresh wave of determination shook the thought away and he plunged deeper still into the fire._

_He searched throughout the house, calling, hoping for answers. He heard a weak voice reply, but he couldn't make out the words. He followed the voice, covering his face with his jacket sleeve, and eventually found a young child huddled in the corner of a room. He ran to child, and helped her up. She coughed weakly, and he picked her up, determined to get her out._

_He retraced his steps the way he came, and prayed silently anyone else inside the building had escaped alive. He saw several silhouettes in the doorway through the smoke. They were yelling—but, as always, he couldn't tell what they were saying._

_He shot towards the door, but luck was against him. A massive, burning beam fell across their path as the ceiling above them caved in. Flames twisted down around them, and he shielded the child from the fire. Turning back to face the wreckage, hope was replaced with despair when he saw no way of escaping. The fire was blazing now, and had surrounded them from behind. The girl looked at him with misted gray eyes; she was scared. There __was no hope now…unless…_

_The fire hadn't completely consumed the front. Putting the girl on the floor as far away from the fire as he dared, he grabbed at the wreckage and managed to loosen enough of the flaming debris so that the girl could escape._

_He picked her up again and set her by the gap he'd mad, and urged her on. She began crawling through the gap, but collapsed halfway. A silhouette lunged forward; grabbing her just as more flaming wreckage came crashing down._

_Smoke filled his lungs._

_His vision blurred._

_The fire closed in around him._

_A vague image flashed before his eyes before he blacked out…_

* * *

Shuu jerked awake, his eyes wide in horror. Shuu jumped up in fear, ears flattened and fur bristling. Trembling, visions of his nightmare filled his mind: the smoke, the fire, the burning house, all those people, the little girl, the burning debris, the flames closing in around him…

Shuu yelped loudly, and sprang backward, causing him to slam into the small mahogany desk beside the couch. The desk tipped over backward with a loud crash, and the framed photos on its surface toppled onto the floor. On the several pictured was crushed beneath the desk, and shattered instantly.

-Upstairs-

May jolted awake as she heard a series of loud sounds: a loud yelp, followed by a crashing sound and then something similar to shattering glass.

May threw back the covers and shot out of her bedroom, bolting down the stairs and into the living room. She couldn't see anything in the darkness, so she flipped on the light, and nearly jumped when she saw Shuu.

He was trembling in the far corner of the room, his breaths long and ragged. May slowly approached the terrified dog, and whispered softly, "Shuu…? Shuu, what's wrong?"

Shuu ignored her completely, his eyes glassy.

May took a step closer, and heard a something crunch beneath her slipper. May looked down and saw shattered glass scattered around the couch, and noticed the fallen desk. May bent down and picked the desk up; it was then she noticed the crushed photo beneath it. When she picked it up, her heart skipped a beat. It was a photo of Drew years before the accident, before he proposed, when they were still dating.

May once again looked at Shuu and called his name softly.

This time Shuu responded. Slowly he lifted his head to her, and met her sapphire-blue eyes with his emerald ones. He had a look of utmost fear frozen across his face. His eyes were glazed over in terror, and he seemed out of it, as though reliving some horrible nightmare.

-A Few Days Later-

May had been keeping an eye on Shuu since that night. She had no idea what happened, but whatever it was it must have scarred Shuu deeply. Since that night where she found him crouched in the corner, he hadn't been acting like himself. No more cocky looks, rude wake-up calls, and instead of ignoring her every command, he listened perfectly and responded to everything she said.

May missed the old, stubborn Shuu. He hardly ate anymore, and he barley drank any water. May was seriously worried about him now, and she considered taking him to the vet. As she was about to dial in the vet's numbered, the phone rang. May cursed her luck as she picked up the phone and asked, "Hello? Who's calling?"

"May? It's Dawn."

"Oh, hi Dawn."

"Are you okay?" Dawn asked, instantly sensing something wrong.

"No. I'm worried about Shuu."

"Why? What happened?"

May quickly filled her in on all the details—as far as she knew—and sighed in defeat as she finished. "I just don't know what to do anymore," she said. "He hasn't been acting like his arrogant self, and he won't eat or drink at all."

"Hmm, well May," Dawn began, "remember that cousin I told you about? The one with the German Shepard dogs? Well, he might be able to tell you what's wrong. Hey, I was planning on visiting him anyway, so how about it? I'm leaving in two days, and it's not a long drive. Wanna come?"

"I guess it's worth a shot," May replied slowly. "Okay, I'll meet you at your house in two days."

"Great," Dawn said. "I just hope my cousin can figure out what's wrong."

-2 Days Later-

Dawn pulled up in front of a large ranch-like single-story house with at least half a dozen acres of backyard space. A row of kennels lined the back of the house, and there was a shed connecting the backdoor to the kennels inside the long hall-way type building. A second and third door in the shed led to the kennel and the actual backyard. Near the edge of the fence, on the side opposite of Dawn's cousin's property, was a large expanse of woods.

Dawn shut off the ignition and ran to the front porch in excitement, obviously eager to see her cousin. May followed at a much slower pace. She opened the back door to Dawn's car and cooed gently until Shuu timidly came out. He blinked several times in confusion, disoriented by viciously bright sunlight.

"Come on Shuu," May crooned and she led her hesitant dog to the front porch.

Dawn's cousin had already emerged from the house, and he smiled and greeted her politely. "Hello, I'm Alec," he introduced himself. "I assume you're May, and"—he turned to Shuu and crouched down until he way eye level with him—"this must be Shuu." Shuu cringed when Alec said his name, and backed away nervously. "He certainly seems terrified about something," he mused thoughtfully.

Alec was a tall young man with a dark tan, probably from working outside with his dogs so much. He appeared about thirty, and had short, jet-black hair. He was wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt covered in muddy paw prints, and had deep, piercing blue eyes.

"Okay," he announced at last. "Let's go to the backyard and see if we can find out what's troubling this young hound." Once in the backyard, Alec indicated to an outdoor patio dining set and said, "Go ahead and sit down." Once May and Dawn were seated, Alec continued, "Now May, hold Shuu firmly, but don't hurt him."

Once Alec was certain May had a secure hold on Shuu, he bent down and looked Shuu in the eye. Shuu began to tremble a little, and the fur along his spine spiked up in warning. Alec barely reacted, and continued to hold Shuu's gaze. Shuu snarled, curling back his lips to reveal gleaming fangs. Alec unflinching continued to stare into Shuu's eyes, and suddenly Shuu snapped. The young dog lunged out, his jaws parted in a threatening snarl as his eyes glittered with malice.

Alec stayed still, and ignored Shuu's flashing fangs, which were mere inches from his face.

Finally Alec stood and spoke directly to May, ignoring Shuu. "Well, there's definitely fear in his eyes," he told her. "Something must be deeply troubling him if he reacted to violently. May, now, tell me, before any of this occurred, had Shuu been acting…odd?"

"Odd? As in, how?" May asked, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"I mean, out of his normal behavior. Doing things a dog shouldn't be able to do, or acting as if he were, I don't know, a human?"

"Well…" May a little hesitant about telling Alec about Shuu's abnormal behavior, but in the end she admitted everything: how she met him, where she caught him, his actions and behavior, his reactions to different things, even the episode with Brendan.

"Huh, so you say when you walked into the living room, Shuu was huddled in the corner of the room and your desk and framed photos had been knocked over?"

"Yes. The first time I called him he didn't respond. The seconds time he just looked at me, almost like he was scared I'd hurt him or something."

"Did you notice anything in his eyes?"

"Hmm? His eyes?" May echoed. "Yeah, there was something odd in his eyes. I don't know what, but is almost—how to put this—a mixed look of horror, recognition, and shock, I guess."

"Interesting," Alec muttered to himself. "Well, something clearly terrified him. I'm not sure what, but it was obviously enough to send him into shock."

"Will he be all right?"

"Of course. He'll be just fine," Alec assured. "Just stay clear of him for a while, and if he approaches you, give him a lot of attention until he leaves. He should be fine soon enough."

"Is that all you can do?" Dawn asked a little shocked.

"I'm afraid so," Alec responded lightly. "I don't know much about him, except for the clear fact he's unusual. This is the first time I've seen a German Shepard with green eyes, and I've been raising them for years."

"Well, thanks anyway for the help," May said with a small sigh. "I guess we should go…"

"Go?" Alec echoed. "Are you sure? Dawn was going to stay overnight so she could meet some of the new pups. Dawn can stay in her usual room, and you can stay in the guest room with Shuu."

"Are you sure it's okay with you…?"

"I'm completely fine with it. Besides, maybe some open space and some free time alone outside might help Shuu."

"Ooh! This would be so much fun!" Dawn squealed. "The pups are always fun to play with! Come on May! I'd feel lonely taking care of the pups on my own while Alec works with his dogs."

May hesitated a bit longer, before finally giving in. "All right," she agreed. "I'll stay."

-Later that Afternoon-

May smiled as one of the German Shepard puppies almost instantly cocked its ears toward her, smiled, wagged its tail, and shot towards her. The pup clambered into her lap and jumped up eagerly, licking at her face with its small pink tongue.

"Aww, how cute!" Dawn gushed.

Shuu, who had wandered off into some far corner of the yard, lifted his head and looked into the pen where Amy and Dawn were playing with the pups, snorted, and looked away.

Alec smiled slightly and chuckled, "That's Tsuki. She doesn't take too kindly to strangers—I guess that makes you special."

"Really?" May smiled as she cradled the small puppy in her arms. "Look at that—I'm special!"

Shuu snorted, not exactly pleased at all the attention May was giving the other dogs. He turned away from the three humans and the puppies with flattened ears and stalked off into the yard.

**Shuu's POV**

Shuu scented the air lightly and padded off along the fence that marked the length of Alec's property. Soon Shuu came to the corner where the fence branched off in another direction, fully encircling the property. Shuu paused when he came to this, and saw a thick growth of hedges and a tangle of weeds growing beyond the other side of the fence. Shuu felt his curiosity increase as he wondered about Alec's neighbor.

Shuu mulled it over for a moment and glanced over his shoulder, making sure May, Dawn, and Alec weren't paying attention, and then tensed his muscles before springing lightly over the fence. Shuu landed in a thick clump of prickly weeds and curled his lip as they entangled themselves in his fur and bit into his flesh.

Shaking off his annoyance, Shuu cautiously crept deeper into the yard, alert concentrating, as he kept low to the ground and in the shadows. Shuu pricked his ears as he ventured further and further into the unknown yard, and his hackles rose on end in disgust.

What the hell was this? A garbage dump?

The ground was dry and barren; the only things growing were weeds at the edges of the rotting old fence around the small yard, and a few small grasses, which were quickly dying, every so often. The few trees in th yard seemed dead, leafless and withered, and one was even charred and blackened, as though struck by lightning—or perhaps, lit on fire.

The house wasn't in that great of a condition either: it was an old, small, shabby house, with a small, narrow chimney covered in ivy. The front porch sagged heavily, and the rotten floorboards groaned and trembled every time the old wooden rocking chair creaked back and forth. The man sitting in the chair was thin, but he also had broad shoulders and looked capable of snapping the neck of anyone he despised. He had a mop of messy, spiky somewhat-graying black hair, and had two, shaded, cold dark eyes.

Shuu suppressed a growl when he saw the man, and backed up towards the fence, fully intending on taking off. Shuu, careful though he was, failed to notice a bush of thorny vines behind him. He felt a sharp jab in his pad, and a stab of pain filled his veins, causing them to burn with fire. The pain blurred his vision and he stumbled back blindly, walking right into the thorn bush. Shuu yelped as the thorns slashed at his legs and the man on the porch instantly shot to his feet, a wild flame sparked in his eyes.

The man shot daggers at Shuu, who, despite the pain throbbing in his legs and numbing his sense, turned tail and fled back the way he came. The man shouted a few cusses he couldn't understand, and within moments he heard his heavy footsteps behind him. Shuu glanced over his shoulder and forced himself to run faster. The man was chasing him, cussing him out in a mix of different words, while swinging a rusty, sharp-edged axe around wildly.

Shuu heard the blood rushing in his ears, and let out a sharp bark, trying to call May's attention. From the corner of his eye he saw a rusty-silver blur as the axe sliced through air, missing his tail by inches. Shuu barked again, and kicked it into overdrive when he saw the fence separating Alec's land from this psycho-man's, and prepared to leap.

**May's POV**

May wheeled around when she heard Shuu's startled bark, and practically dropped Tsuki onto the ground when she saw the crazed man chasing after Shuu with an axe, and then her shock was replaced by fury when she saw the thin curls of blood streaming from the many cuts on Shuu's legs.

Alec followed May's gaze when he heard Shuu's second bark, and he immediately took off toward the fence.

"Alec!—what is it?!" Dawn demanded as her cousin raced away.

"Come on—hurry up! If he gets Shuu before we do, then there's no hope!"

May's eyes widened when she heard this, and she was halfway across the yard before Dawn could blink. Dawn rolled her eyes—still unaware of how Misty (and now May) could do that—but she followed her friend and cousin anyway.

Before long May had pulled ahead of Alec and reached Shuu just as he dropped to the ground on Alec's side of the fence. She fell down beside him and hugged him close, preventing the man from swinging his axe down on her dog. The man froze, blinking as though trying to process what just happened, when Alec and Dawn caught up to them. "Hey! Don't you dare swing that axe down!" Dawn warned furiously.

Alec slowed down once he was beside May and took several slow steps until he stood protectively in front of her and Shuu. "Put the axe down—no one needs to get hurt."

"That dog was trespassing on **my **property!"

"Calm down—"

"He's just a dog!" May lashed out, interrupting Alec. "And what did you do to him? His legs are bleeding!"

"That ain't my fault, Missy," the man replied, his voice not quite as loud now, as he lowered his axe. "I have thorn bushes in my yard near the fence—that's how he cut himself. Not my fault he's too blind to see that." He narrowed his eyes and tossed the axe into some bushes a few yards behind him. "He your dog?"

"Yes, he's mine," May replied coldly.

"Huh, and I here I thought it was Alec's. Had I known he was yours, I wouldn't have attacked him the way I did."

May recoiled at the ma's words, and Shuu's muscles locked together, sensing her disgust.

"I'll let him off the hook this once," the man said. "But only this once. Got that?" May didn't even bother to respond. Instead, she gently stroked Shuu's fur and murmured soothingly to him. "My name's Kris, by the way. What's yours?"

Alec backed away from the fence, sensing the danger had passed. "This is May. She's a close friend to my cousin, Dawn. You remember Dawn?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, that annoying little kid that's always playing with the dogs."

Dawn bristled, and was about to lash out with a sharp reply when Alec cut her off and pushed her back. Crouching down beside May, Alec whispered softly, "Stay away from Kris. He has…issues, you could say. He has a troubled past and was out in a, um, mental hospital for it. He was released several years ago, but if you ask me, they should lock him up again." Straightening up again, Alec faked a smile and said, "Well, nice to see you again, Kris. Sorry for the trouble, but we must go now. Come on May, Dawn."

**Kris's POV**

Kris watched the girl—May—stand and gently coax that mutt of hers to its feet, and then began to guide him back to Alec's house, bent over a little so she could help him walk.

She was beautiful—he couldn't deny that. And she had an attitude. He liked—no, **loved**—that in women. The only problem was that dog of hers. He didn't like that beast; there was something odd about him.

Kris pulled out a cigar from one of the pockets in his overalls and then pulled out a lighter from his other pocket. He hastily lit the cigar, in process accidentally burning his finger. Kris swore loudly, and the lighter slipped from his grip. The lighter flickered, and a small jet of flames shot out and lit a nearby bush on fire.

As the flames rose higher, the amber fire reflected darkly in Kris's eyes as he watched the flames slowly creep upwards and dance magically in the afternoon…

**May's POV**

Shuu's nose twitched and he spun around quickly, barking sharply as he did. May wheeled around and Alec and Dawn did the same. Curls of stone-gray smoke twisted into the air in thin puffs, and long crimson flames twisted and writhed over a burning bush. Shuu's eyes flashed, and a look of horror fogged up his emerald orbs. Alec swore loudly, and ran towards the old-fashioned pump and bucket to get water, while Dawn raced over to the scene, where she began yelling at Kris, demanding why he just stood there. May, meanwhile, was the only one to notice Shuu's reaction.

He just stood rigidly, with his muscles locked into place and his eyes, which were usually gleaming in an unnatural shade of green, were now dulled to a sickly dim glow. Shuu's ears went flat against his skull and he twitched nervously, then began to tremble fearfully.

* * *

**Me: Yay! New chappie finished!  
Drew: I don't like that Kris guy...  
May: You don't like anyone  
Drew: -shifty eyes- ...So?  
Inuyasha & Me: -sweatdrop-  
May: -sniffle- But you like me, right...?  
Drew: -twitch- Of course I do! Now stop crying!  
May: ...where's my rose?  
Drew: Wha...? Oh, fine, here -gives her rose-  
May: Yay! -squeal- HappyhappyJoyjoy!  
Me, Inuyasha, & Drew: -sweatdrop-  
Me: ANYWAY, how will this affect the story? What is Kris plotting? Will May and Drew ever get a happy ending --  
Inuyasha: Will the authoress EVER shut up?  
Me: I WAS going to give you ramen, but now I changed my mind  
Inuyasha: NOOOOOOOOOOO!!  
Drew & May: O.o  
Me: R&R if you want updates!  
Drew & May: O.O  
Me: WHAT?!  
May: I'm going to slowly back away now...  
Drew: I'll join you with that...  
Me: Rawr! If you have something to say, say it!  
May & Drew: O.O -they run away-  
Me: ...Something tells me they don't like me much  
Inuyasha: What was your first clue?  
Me: SIT! (And my magical authoress powers allowed me to "Sit" him XD)  
Inuyasha: -groan-**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry about the late update. Writer's block sucks. I'll make it up though. Enjoy.**

**Mehehehe. Update alert.**

**Inuyasha: Already?  
Me: Yup  
May: Yay! Oh, wait...um...this is a dramatic chapter, right?  
Drew: No duh, Sherlock. Why do you think she updated so soon?  
May: Dammit...  
Me: ZOMG! May cussed!  
May: Oops! I did! Dammit! I'm sorry -- Oh no! I did it again! Damn! Ahhh!  
Drew: You should just shut up now  
May: Go to hell! Aaahhh! I'm sorry Drew! I didn't mean that!  
Me, Inuyasha, & Drew: ...  
Me: Someon disclaim, please.  
Inuyasha: Um, since I can't remember the last time I disclaimed, I'll go...DemonChild does not -- In ANY WAY -- own Pokemon.  
Drew: Thank God for that!  
Inuyasha: Otherwise the show would be rated T like any normal Anime, there would a lot more violence, Misty would back (People with anger issues rock!), Ash would...be buried alive right now?  
May & Drew: SOMEONE BUY POKEMON FOR DEMONCHILD **_**NOW**_**!!  
Inuyasha: Uh, anyway, and May and Drew wouldn't have left the show and would girlfriend&boyfriend right now, and harley would've been killed off in the most brutal way imaginable  
Me: On a happier note, let's get back to the story**

May, Dawn, and Alec were seated around Alec's kitchen counter; Alec silent, Dawn furious, and May worried. Shuu was curled up beside her chair, his eyes still wide with that odd faraway look in them.

"Why didn't Kris do anything about the fire?" Dawn ranted. "Why did he just stand there? I don't get it! Did he want the place to burn down or something?"

"Dawn, when you first came to visit—the first time since Kris moved next door, actually—do you remember what I told you?" asked Alec. "I warned you to stay away from him.

Dawn blinked, trying to remember, then: "Oh yeah! He was a jerk back then, too." Dawn looked thoughtful, and then added, "All you told me was that he had been hospitalized for things concerning his past. What did you mean by that?"

"…Kris is a pyromaniac—or, he likes to set things on fire. His family was killed in a fire and when he was in foster care, he was trapped inside a burning building not too long after his parents' deaths. He was traumatized, of course, and developed an unnatural obsession with fire."

"And you know this how…?" questioned Dawn.

"I have an old friend who works in the downtown police station. When Kris first moved here, the fire department and police responded to a call saying that the woods near Kris's house had caught fire," Alec explained. "After all this, my friend came over and pulled me aside, and warned me about Kris, telling me what I just told you."

Dawn nodded, and then turned to May. "Hey, are you okay? You haven't said a thing since we got back inside."

May fidgeted, and, avoiding her friends' gazes, she replied softly, "I think I know what Shuu's so terrified of now." As Alec and Dawn leaned in closer, May told them what happened during the small fire.

"Huh, odd," Alec muttered. "And you don't know anything about Shuu's past?"

"No, I don't. He was a stray when I found him."

"Okay then," Alec said. "Well May, it might not be a good idea to stay here with Shuu. Dawn, do you mind driving May back home? I'll make it up to you—it's jut not all too safe for Shuu around here."

"It's okay. I understand," Dawn assured. "It's not too safe for May either. I mean, was it my imagination, or was Kris eyeing her?"

"I don't think you were imagining it," May responded bitterly.

"Well, anyway, we'd better get going," Dawn announced, standing up abruptly. "Come on May. It's getting late and I don't like driving around at night so much. Sorry this visit was cut short, Alec. I'll come by and visit some other time, all right?"

"Okay the Dawn." Alec stood as well and escorted May and Dawn to the door; Shuu followed at a much slower pace, limping a little. Noticing this, Alec turned to May and advised, "You might want to take Shuu to the vet as soon as possible. Those thorns cut him up pretty bad."

"I know, but the vet's closed on Sunday." May sighed heavily, and Shuu gently nuzzled her hand. "I'll have to wait until Monday."

"Right. Just make sure he has a calm day tomorrow. Maybe take him on a short walk or something. Just don't overstress him, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks for the advice. We'd better get going though," May responded lightly, then turned away and proceeded down the front porch with Shuu trailing slowly behind her.

Dawn shook her head and muttered to Alec, "Sorry about that. Sometimes I think that dog means more to her than anything. She'll do anything for him! Anyway, we really have to get going. The pups were cute, by the way, and I hope I can play with them again sometime."

"Of course, of course," Alec said, nodding. "Drop by soon, ya hear?"

Dawn rolled her eyes, waved to her cousin, and then took off after May.

-At May's House-

May thanked Dawn for the ride home and then hastily scrambled up her front porch. Unlocking the door, she held it open for Shuu before quickly darting in, shutting the door swiftly behind her and turning the lock in place with a sharp click. May dropped her keys and purse on the floor near the stairs and peered into the living room. She saw Shuu curled up on the couch, appearing exhausted. May calmly went over to him, and stroked his fur, silently reassuring him. Shuu sighed, and glanced at her from the corner of his eye, before taking a deep breath and drifting off into a somewhat fitful sleep.

May shook her head murmured, "Well Shuu, if you want, my door's always open." She bent over and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight Shuu. Sleep well."

-Next Morning-

Shuu was still laying the same position as the night before, his eyes half-closed and dull. He was breathing, but you wouldn't be able to notice until you really watched him. May was relieved to find him still alive and well.

May gently urged Shuu into the kitchen, where she offered him some food and water, both of which he refused. May glared at him, snapping, "You **will **eat something, if it's the last thing I do!"

_I'm sick, remember? You're not supposed to rant at me—you're supposed to make me feel better._

May's eye twitched, and she took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. Shuu let out a little bark, which could've been laughter. To prevent herself from causing more pain to her dog, May left the kitchen and busied herself by gathering her purse, keys, and a jacket. She came back into the kitchen wearing Drew's purple jacket again. "Come on Shuu," she shouted cheerily. "We're going to the park."

Shuu held out a forepaw and swiftly ran his tongue over the wounds, which still stung like hell, and then shook out his fur before padding ahead of May into the front hall. Once outside, Shuu shivered at the chill in the air, shook out his fur again, and picked up the pace, wanting to get this walk over with.

"Shuu, slow down!" May scolded. "Remember what Alec told us yesterday?"

_No. Not really. It's not like I care that much anyway._

"You're supposed to take it easy!" May reminded him sharply. "Have a nice, calm day."

_Nice? Calm? With _**you** _around? Ha!_

"That's just plain mean," May retorted, matching his gaze with a glare.

_So?_

The park was relatively empty that day, which could be good or bad, depending on how you looked at it. May absentmindedly wandered over to an old oak tree, where she slumped down and leaned against its trunk. Shuu padded after her, where he settled down beside her and stretched out comfortably.

As May allowed her thoughts to wander, Shuu let the relaxing scenery to get the better of him, and was drifting off when he heard a familiar voice: Brendan.

Shuu growled venomously, and stumbled to his paws, snarling. May was already up, and she was smiling at Brendan as the white-haired boy chattered away excitedly—well, she **was** smiling. She spun around with a look of horror when she heard Shuu's threatening snarl. Brendan had already begun to pale, and backed away, holding up his hands as Shuu advanced slowly.

"H-Hey, dog, I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm just—"

Shuu snarled again, cutting the boy off as he tensed his muscles.

May swiftly jumped into Shuu's path as he was about to leap and forced the German Shepard to stop. "No Shuu. He's a friend. Leave him alone."

Shuu's lip curled, and he shot Brendan a death-glare, but obeyed May, and sat down stiffly—he didn't bother to flatten his fur.

"So…um…how are you?" Brendan asked warily, still unsure whether or not Shuu would attack him.

"Okay, I guess." May shrugged. "You?"

"I've been better," Brendan replied dryly, giving Shuu a look.

May ignored Brendan's implication and said, "So, what are you doing here?"

"Just…hanging around," Brendan muttered. "Hey, May, about last time…I'm sorry if I upset you in any way. I didn't mean to."

"It's fine, Brendan. Really," May assured.

"Are you…?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, I think you should get going. Shuu's a little agitated. He's supposed to take it easy today, and I don't want him stressed out."

"Aww, he's fine," Brendan replied, dismissing her worries. He strolled over calmly to the oak tree Shuu and May has been resting by and grabbed May's wrist on the way, dragging her with him. He dropped down onto the grass and pulled May down beside him, May yelped a little in shock, and Shuu lowered his head threateningly, curling back his lips to reveal long, glistening fangs, and flattened his ears. Shuu growled warningly, but Brendan ignored the young dog and instead turned to May.

"B-Brendan, are you—are you okay?"

"Yeah, May, I am—or at least I **would** be…"

"Are you sure? You're acting really weird…!"

"I'm fine, are you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I really like you May. Don't you know that?"

"Wha…?" May pulled her hand from his grip and backed away, fear glistening in her eyes. "Listen Brendan, I like you too, but only as a friend."

"Let's be more than friends…" Brendan leaned towards May, trying to kiss her. May thought quickly and hastily pulled up the collar on Drew's jacket, covering her mouth, and turned away from Brendan. Brendan seemed to growl, and he grabbed her shoulder roughly, twisting her around again. "Take off the jacket May," he snarled. "Drew's dead—just get over it and take off the jacket!"

"No…! Leave me alone!"

Brendan pulled her towards him again, but this time Shuu launched himself forward and caught the young man off guard. Brendan, shocked, slammed into the oak tree hard, and his head struck the wood with a sharp crack. "Stupid dog!" Brendan growled, swiping at Shuu's face.

Shuu bared his fangs, and in a blurred flash clamped his jaws around Brendan's arm, squeezing hard, growling all the while. Brendan swore under his breath and tried to shake Shuu off. This just angered Shuu, adding to the growing hatred towards the boy, and Shuu bit down harder, growling, and jerked his head back and forth. Spatters of red blood leaked through Shuu's teeth and stained the grass scarlet.

Brendan yelled out in pain and kicked at Shuu, hitting him sharply in the chest and forcing him away. Shuu snarled at Brendan, and crouched down, preparing to lunge again.

May, acting instinctively, leapt in front of Shuu. "No Shuu! Back off!" Rounding on Brendan, she snapped, "And you! You're no better! Get away before I **really **let Shuu attack you!"

Brendan hastily scrambled to his feet. "There—there's no need for that!"

"Then leave!" May shot back coldly.

Brendan was about to reply, but thought better of it when Shuu snapped his blood-tipped fangs and fled the park quickly.

Shuu relaxed only when the scent of fresh blood had faded somewhat from the air, and he looked over at May, wagging his tail slightly. A chill crept up his spine when he saw May's glare, and his ears went flat.

"And you…! It's your fault in the first place!" May lashed out at him. "If you weren't so quick to attack, then this never would have happened!" May groaned, and went limp against the tree. After several minutes, she stood up without a word to Shuu and stalked out of the park. Shuu warily watched her leave, and debated on whether he should follow or not. After a brief hesitation, he streaked off after her, but made sure to keep a distance from the furious brunette.

-Tuesday-

Besides taking him to the vet, May completely ignored Shuu for the rest of that day, as well as most of Tuesday.

That morning, Shuu entered the kitchen cautiously, and slowly went up to May with flattened ears. May gave him a sideways glance and closed her eyes, taking another sip of her steaming mug of coffee. Shuu whimpered and sat down, looking up at her with apologetic eyes. Again, May ignored him and swallowed another mouthful of coffee. Shuu sighed, and ran over a list of things he could do to make it up to May. _What could I…?_ Shuu suddenly pricked his ears as a new thought struck him.

Slipping up to the door he reared up and batted at the knob until it turned, then gripped it between his teeth and proceeded in pulling the door open. Dropping back onto all fours he shot outside in a flash of black-and-tan. May jumped when she heard the back door slam, spilling her coffee all over the tabletop in the process. Muttering a few angry curses under breath May unrolled a few sheets off the paper towel roll and turned back to the table and the spilt coffee.

**Shuu's POV**

Once Shuu was outside he leapt the fence and bounded off full speed towards the park. He didn't bother slowing down as he raced over the wide-open area, despite the fact that seemingly everyone with a dog had come to the park this day—on the contrary, he sped up.

Ignoring a few angry shouts from the innocent—could you even call them that?—Shuu dodged the wild lunges made in an attempt to catch and restrain him and pelted into the forest, winding his way around the trees until he found the path he sought. Shuu eagerly raced down the old path, his heart feeling lighter with every step. Within minutes he'd found what he was looking for: the rosebush.

The roses were still full and healthy, and seemingly brighter than ever. Drops of dew still remained on every soft, red petal; the small drops glittered in an almost-rainbow like pattern. Shuu gazed in awe at the shimmering red roses for several minutes, before selecting the one he thought May would like best. This rose was in full bloom, with large, frail blood-red petals arranged in a ruffle-like pattern. A long, thin, pale-green stem held the rose in place, and long, narrow, sharp thorns spiked the narrow stem, curving upward in a sinister fashion, almost daring any passerby to try to pluck it.

Remembering the technique Jaiko had shown him, Shuu carefully parted the bushes and the dew drops on the leaves instantly ran together and collected, soaking his forelegs. Nipping lightly at the base of the stem, Shuu finally succeeded in removing the rose, and pulled away, allowing the branches on the bush to snap back into place, earning him a water-soaked face.

Irritation pulsed in his veins, but he immediately forgot about it when he imagined May's reaction. Shaking drops of water off his muzzle Shuu turned and made his way back down the path, feeling happier than he had in days.

-May's House-

Shuu hopped the fence again and found the back door slightly open. _At least she didn't forget about me,_ he thought. Shrugging, pawed the door fully open and trotted inside, kicking the door close behind him. The first place Shuu searched for May was the living room, but…she wasn't there. Her car had been in the driveway when he returned, so must be home. As he turned in the direction of the stairs, he heard May's voice clearly in the front hall—as well as…what? No. …Yes, Brendan. Didn't May learn her lesson last time?

Shuu peered around the doorway and felt fury surge inside of him when he saw Brendan chatting with May, his pose calm and a flirtatious grin on his face. Resentment building within him, Shuu growled warningly and padded into the main hall, his fur bristling, and glared at Brendan, who jumped at his sudden appearance.

"Shuu…!" May cried, appearing almost…**guilty**. "W-when did you get here?"

_Just now._

Brendan instantly lost his cool expression, and back away onto the porch. "Um, hey May, some other time, okay? I gotta go now…"

"No, Brendan, Shuu's the one that has to go. Into the living room with you. I want a social life, and I can't have that with you either freaking my friends out or attacking any male that comes within a hundred yards of me!"

_Not a hundred! …Seventy-five is more like it…_

"Oh, and Brendan, about that date, I'd love to go. Let me just go get ready. I'll be back soon."

Brendan's confident look returned, and he nodded. "All right then. I'll wait."

"Great," May called over her shoulder as she ascended the stairs. "I'll be down soon."

And she was gone.

Shuu's ears went flat and he hung his head, stung by May's choice of words. Had she even noticed the rose he had for her? He doubted it. Brendan gave him a cocky smirk. **(A/N: hey! Only Drew can do that!) **"You heard her, mutt! Go on, into the other room." Shuu growled and as he stalked towards the living room again. Brendan aimed a kick in Shuu's direction, and the young dog tried to dodge, but Brendan was faster and redirected his assault.

Shuu felt an incredible pain explode in his lower jaw a blinding flash of white streaked across his vision. Shuu staggered into the living, where he collapsed only just out of sight. Everything went dim as he slumped down and fell against the wall. He didn't even notice his jaw had gone slack, or the fact that the rose had fallen from his grip and now lay in the center of the hall.

Not too long after that did May come rushing down the stairs, dressed in a fancy crimson red dress and an old, somewhat ragged dark blue sweater. In all truth, she didn't like the sweater at all, but the only other thing she had was Drew's jacket, and if she wore that then…things just wouldn't come out good. So instead she settled for this. She had taken off her bandana as well, and wore her hair down, framing her pretty face.

Brendan smiled when he saw her, and May gave the hall a singe sweeping glance. "Where's Shuu?" she asked, trying to sound casual, but she as still worried.

"Hmm? Oh, he went into the other room after you left."

"Oh. Okay." May shrugged away her worries and allowed Brendan to take her hand gently and lead her to the door. Shuu tried to call her attention, but felt another fresh burst of pain and ended up watching in sorrow as May left with Brendan. Though he couldn't been seen, he could still see them—vaguely.

He did, however, see May crush the rose he'd picked for her. She obviously didn't notice it; otherwise she wouldn't have stepped on it. All the same, grief stabbed at Shuu's heart, a pain almost as bad as if May had stepped on him.

* * *

**Yay! Finished chappie! Sorry it's a lttle shorter than usual, but anyway, there's a little heartbreak in this. Poor Shuu. Someone needs to call Animal Abuse on Brendan and have him taken away. Anyways. A little explaining: When Shuu went to get the roses, it was late morning; when he came back it was somewhat early afternoon, and when May was done getting ready, it was late afternoon-ish. Not exactly, but around there.**

**May: I have to go kill Brendan right now  
Me: No. Sorry, but that's Drew's job  
Drew: Hehehehe... -lightning flashes in background-  
May: O.O  
Me: Uh...  
Inuyasha: Wow. And I thought SANGO had anger issues**

**Sango: -somewhere else- I have the urge to beat Inuyasha up**

**Inuyasha: ...I have the urge to hide from Sango  
Me: That would be smart  
Drew: So when do I kill Brendan?  
Me: At the end of the story. Much as I hate to say it, I need him right now for the story...T.T  
Drew: T-T  
May: Wait, can't Drew just go kill him? Doesn't the power of Anime - and Fanficiton - allow him to be killed and revived as many times as needed?  
Me: ! You're right!  
Drew: -eagerly- So I can kill him?  
Me: Sure, why not. Just don't get any blood or gore in the Narration Box - I just had it cleaned  
Drew: Yes!! -runs off-**

**-LATER-**

**(In the distnace)**

**Brendan: (screams!)  
Drew: -evil laughter-**

**-A few minutes later-**

**Drew: -returns with a rather happy smile  
Me: So I'm guessing things went well?  
Drew: Yup.  
May: ...Okay then. ...Hey, can I kill Brendan next?  
Me: Sure. Go ahead. But not until the next chappie. I kinda have to go and write the next chapter now.  
Inuyasha: READ & REVIEW UNLESS YOU WANNA SUFFER THE POWER OF MY WIND SCAR!!  
Me: He means the awesome might of Lord Sesshomaru :)**

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi, meh, this may seem rotten, but I just wanted to say I added an extra small sentence to chapter 5 in the part during the nightmare near the end. Nothing big, just a little spoiler for a new character in this chapter I felt like adding. You can probably still figure it out later, but if you want to see the spoiler, then check out chapter 5 during the nightmare ending. Otherwise, enjoy.**

**Me: So, another update  
Inuyasha: -grunt-  
May:Yay!  
Drew: Meh  
Me: T-T Anyway, I did my best on this chapter to make it up for the long wait for chapter 6, so I hope you like it  
Inuyasha: You're so mean. First you don't update in forever, and then you try to bribe them by giving them another new chapter. Pathetic  
Me: T-T  
May: Bad dog!  
Inuyasha: -eye twitch-  
Drew: Uh, DemonChild doesn't own Pokemon, us, or dog-boy and she never will. So leave us alone  
May: It's okay DemonChild. Make DemonChild feel better with reveiws! Reveiwers will be allowed to kick or harm dog-boy in any means, just submit it in your reveiws!  
Inuyasha: O.O**

* * *

When May returned later that night she seemed happy—as if she had a nice time. Brendan followed her inside, grinning stupidly. "Wow! How did you get reservations for such a fancy restaurant?" May was asking as she opened the front door.

"I'm just me like that."

May giggled, and invited him in. "Well, I had a nice time tonight."

"Maybe we could do this again?" Brendan suggested hopefully.

"Sure! But I have to go put out some food and water for Shuu—he must be starving. You're welcome to wait in the living room, though."

"Thanks."

Brendan seated himself on the couch while May practically skipped into the kitchen. Shuu, who was curled up under the kitchen table, tried to lift his head to greet her, but winced as the pain in his jaw came flooding back. May looked around the kitchen and noticed Shuu's tail sticking out from under the table. She crouched down and looked at him, and smiled. Her eyes widened in shock when Shuu flinched and pulled away from her, his eyes filled with hurt.

May looked at him questioningly, and then noticed the crushed red rose lying a foot away from his forepaw. Most of the petals—which Shuu had gathered—had been torn off and had darkened to a color similar to that of dried blood. The stem—which had only this morning been long a graceful—was now torn in half, with a jagged end oozing a slimy substance.

"Did…did I…? Oh, I'm sorry Shuu. I really am." May reached out to stroke his fur, but Shuu shied away, flattening his ears and giving a low warning growl. May recoiled instantly, and sighed in defeat. Leaving out some food and water, she reentered the living room and rounded on Brendan. "Brendan, this afternoon while I was getting ready, did you do anything to Shuu?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"I tried to pet him just now, and he pulled away and growled at me!" May snapped. "He's never done that before!"

"Maybe he's just jealous."

"Brendan—"

May was cut off as Brendan grabbed her wrist and pulled her beside him on the couch. "Just forget about him," Brendan breathed into her ear, causing May to shiver in fear. "He'd just a dog. Nothing to get too worked up over." Brendan leaned in closer, trying to kiss her. May pulled away, but his grip was too strong, and he eventually managed to plant his lips firmly on hers.

May struggled vainly against his hold, and jumped when she felt the strap of her dress fall down her shoulder. Finally managing to work her way from Brendan's grip she slapped him across he face and pulled her dress strap back up. "Brendan…!" she sputtered. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Don't get too worked up, babe. Just relax. Come on, live a little."

"No thanks. I'd rather not."

"Well, too bad. That wasn't a suggestion—that was an order," Brendan growled as he advanced threateningly towards her.

"Sh-Shuu!" May managed to yelp as she stumbled back.

**Shuu's POV**

Shuu's ears shot up when he heard May call his name, and he could clearly sense her fear. Shooting out from under the table, Shuu ignored the numbing pain in his jaw and raced into the living room, where he instinctively slammed into Brendan and tackled him to the ground.

"Damn dog!"

Shuu snarled in response, and bit into Brendan's forearm. Brendan swore loudly, and knocked Shuu away. The dog barked sharply, and then leaped at the white-haired boy again, his fangs flashing, a murderous glint in his eyes.

May, suddenly torn from her shock, cried out, "Shuu! That's enough! Get off!"

Shuu, however, ignored her and tore deeper into Brendan's arm, clamping down harder until the salty tang of fresh blood filled his mouth.

Brendan swore loudly as his head began to spin from the pain, and he kicked Shuu's stomach, forcing the dog away with a pained grunt.

Shuu staggered into the couch, shook his head, and then snarled again. Brendan picked himself up, and made his way towards the front hall when Shuu tackled him from behind again. Brendan lurched forward and slammed into the wall, hitting his head painfully in the process. Howling in pain Brendan thrashed against Shuu's enraged attack and Shuu ripped his fangs into Brendan's leg. The boy's violent thrashing caused Shuu to be kicked several times, each time pushing him back, bit it did more harm to Brendan than to Shuu. With very kick that forced Shuu away only succeeded in making the already-huge gash in Brendan's leg double in size.

Shuu suddenly felt May's hands wrap around his shoulders, and his jaw went slack. May pushed him aside, and Shuu ending up hitting his jaw against the wall, renewing the pain from this afternoon. May quickly helped Brendan up and led him to the front door. "Come on Brendan, I'm getting you to the emergency room."

Brendan groaned in response, and Shuu could only stare as May guided Brendan—the guy who tried to **force** himself on her—to the front door, speaking to him a soft caring voice.

Shuu furrowed his brow, upset at the world. His chest, forelegs, and muzzle were covered in blood, and the carpet and walls stained red. Plus, the pain in his jaw **and **stomach was making his vision blur, and now you're telling him he did all that for nothing? Oh, the injustice of it all.

-Later that Night-

May returned around midnight, tired and angry. The first thing did was yell at Shuu. "Shuu! How could you?! I **told **you to stop! Why didn't you listen?!"

_But…he was going to hurt you…_

"Shuu, I don't know what's wrong with you. Ever since I took you on the first walk to the park, you've just been—I don't know! Impossible! If this keeps happening, you're going to be just another homeless stray again! Understand?"

Shuu flinched under he sharp words, and averted his gaze.

May then turned swiftly on her heel and stormed up the stairs.

Shuu paced restlessly in the darkness of the living room after that. Unfair. That's what it was. He was only defending her. She didn't know Brendan's intentions…she can't sense his malevolent aura. _I was only helping…_

Shuu sighed and shook his head. _I can't do this anymore. I just can't. I…I'm just going to go. I'm not waiting for her to kick me out._

Shuu silently crept upstairs, feeling the need to at least say goodbye, and nosed her bedroom door open. The room was dim, and unnaturally silent. May was asleep…that he was sure of.

He made his way towards the bed and gently touched his nose to her forehead. May stirred, but didn't wake, and Shuu felt an odd desire.

Almost as if entering a trance, Shuu went over to May's dresser and took the photo of her and Drew she'd shown him some many days ago gently in his mouth and came back to May's side. He carefully inched his nose underneath her hand and let the photo drop from his grip, before pulling away. Glancing around the room he noticed Drew's jacket lying in a crumpled heap on the floor, as though May had carelessly dropped it and forgotten about it. Picking this up too, he brought it over to May and pulled it over her shoulders, almost like a blanket.

Then he turned away, taking her bandana off her bureau as he left.

He managed to open the backdoor again, and slipped outside hastily, pushing the door closed as quietly as possible. Then he padded off towards the fence.

-Next Morning-

**May's POV**

May woke, feeling absolutely fine, despite the chill in the morning. She found it odd, especially since she hadn't bothered on crawling under the covers. Yawning, she sat up and almost immediately she felt something fall from her shoulders. She looked and suppressed a small gasp of surprise when she saw it was Drew's jacket, the one she'd dropped on the floor the previous afternoon while getting ready for her date with Brendan. _I thought for sure I left that on the floor…_ The next thing she noticed was a framed photo beside her, lying where her hand had been positioned only moments before.

Picking up the photo, she—surprisingly—wasn't all too shocked to see it was the picture of her and Drew, the one she'd shown to Shuu that day he'd brought her the rose.

_Hey…where is Shuu?_

Swinging her legs around and onto the floor, May brushed away a few stray locks o hair and made her way into the hall, where she called, "Shuu? Shuu, where are you? Come on out, boy. Come on."

She clapped twice as she descended to the first floor.

The house was silent.

Descending the final steps May entered the living room and jumped when she saw the dark, dried bloodstains on the wall and carpet. Last night's events came rushing back at her, and May groaned and slumped against the wall. _Cleaning that up will be a major pain. Damn that dog…no. It was Brendan's fault…not Shuu's. I have to apologize._

"Shuu!" she repeated. "Come on out, boy. I'm not mad anymore. Come on!" _I hope he didn't run off._ Deciding he probably **did** leave for a while, at least until she cooled off, May returned to her room where she brushed her teeth, hair, and changed into a red tank top and jeans. Then she noticed her bandana was missing. _I bet Shuu took it._

Shrugging, May grabbed her purse and car keys and headed back downstairs. She paused in the front hall and then entered the kitchen, where she opened the door (she wasn't surprised it wasn't locked) and wedged in a narrow stick, just in case Shuu came back while she was gone.

**Shuu's POV**

Shuu stretched tightened his grip on May's bandana when he saw the rosebush up ahead. Quickening his pace slightly, Shuu paused at the side of the trail and delicately placed the bandana over one forepaw. With his other paw he gently reached up and lightly brushed each rose with his pad. The petals were soft and lacy, wet from the morning's dew.

For a long time Shuu stared at the blood-colored rises, the dread within him building with every passing moment. He was jarred from his thoughts by a light sound of footfalls farther up the path, and then he heard Jaiko's familiar bark. "Eh? Is that you?"

"Huh?" Shuu looked up and saw Jaiko's shaggy black-and-white frame padding towards him. "Oh, Jaiko. Hey…"

"Somethin' wrong?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Ya seem agitated bout somethin'." By now Jaiko was standing beside Shuu, who stood rigidly in front of the bush. "Remember, I said that I'd find you if you ever needed help. So what's wrong?"

A little reluctantly Shuu retold last night's events. Old as he was, Jaiko was a great listener. He never once interrupted; his ears were coked in Shuu's direction, and he stared intently at him while Shuu explained his predicament.

"Well," Jaiko said when Shuu had finished. "That's quite some trouble you're in. Are you planning on ever going back?"

Shuu hesitated for a moment, and then replied, "…No, I don't think I will."

Jaiko's ear twitched when he heard a trace of uncertainty in his voice, but didn't bother pointing it out. "All right then, how about you come and stay with my? I'm sure my humans wouldn't mind. They're really kind folk, honest. I'm sure they'd welcome you right in."

"…Are—are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course. Come on. I'll take you there myself."

A little hesitantly Shuu followed the elderly dog down the path, which widened out somewhat as they went along. The shrubbery thinned out, and even the weeds were under more control. The thick trees came to an end after several more yards, and the path was cut off abruptly as well. From here the ground was flat and a little lifeless. An old-fashioned single-story house loomed up just ahead. The house was painted white. A few spots were faded and chipped, but otherwise the place was in good condition. There was a long, narrow front porch with pale blue painted railings and matching swinging chair with a blue and white checkered pattern seat.

The back door was open, but the second door, a screen door, was closed. The window shutters were open as well, and the occasional soft breeze made them rattle. A young girl sat in the chair, which swayed gently in the wind, and a small cat lay peacefully in her lap.

The girl had long coffee-brown hair and startling storm-gray eyes. She wore a short-sleeved white blouse and jean shorts, with a light blue sweater tied around her waist. The cat on her lap had long, Persian-type ginger fur and a thick, sweeping crimson tail about several shades darker than the rest of her fur. The cat opened her eyes—which were a pale shade of ice-blue—and yawned, before leaping off the girl's lap and approaching them fearlessly.

Nervously Shuu sat down as the car approached and waited anxiously as she circled him calmly. Never taking her frosty eyes off of Shuu, the cat asked Jaiko, "Well, well, what did you bring home today?" She had an accent—from where, Shuu couldn't decide. Maybe France?

"This is a friend of mine," the old sheepdog replied. "He's having some issues with his human." Jaiko snorted. "He says his human seemed fond of him—but takes the side of some punk over her own dog."

"Oh? What happened?"

"Eh heh, well, my buddy's owner knows this kid who…well, is pushy, you could say. Not only that, but he's a real animal abuser. Anyway, tonight, I'm guessing he went a little too far and our friend here reacted to instinct and attacked to defend his human. Guess whose side the human took?"

"Ugh, I hate humans like that." The cat rubbed against one of Shuu's forelegs in a friendly gesture. "Poor thing. I'm sure our humans wouldn't mind if you stayed for a while." She crinkled her nose. "You really ought to wash that blood off. By the way, I'm Reijin. What's your name?"

"Shuu."

"Nice to meet you Shuu."

By now the girl was leaning against the railing, her elbow on wooden support and her chin on her palm. Her eyes sparked with mild curiosity, and she tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "Watcha got there, Jaiko?" she called. Her voice was sharp, hinted with a slight southern accent. Despite the sharp edge to her voice, however, she seemed friendly and kind.

Jaiko wagged his thick tail and barked loudly.

"Uh huh, is that so?" the girl asked as though she understood. Maybe she did. She clapped once. "Come here, boy."

Shuu pricked his ears and slowly got to his paws. He took a cautious step forward, tipped his head to one side, and then picked up his pace when the girl held out her hand to him. Shuu paused at the stairs leading up the porch and the girl slowly moved and repositioned her hand until it was resting on Shuu's forehead. Gently she began to scratch his head, and Shuu felt his tense muscles relax.

"Well, aren't you a sweetie?" the girl cooed. "Do you need a place to stay?

Shuu barked.

"I don't know how long you're planning on staying, but in the meantime, we have to wash this blood off. I'll go get the hose." That said, the girl lightly bounded off the top step of the porch and disappeared around the side of the house.

Turning to Jaiko and Reijin, Shuu asked, "And her parents? Don't they have a say in this?"

"Ah, she has no parents. She lives with her aunt and uncle," Jaiko explained.

Reijin chuckled lightly. "Strays in need of a place to stay and rest for a while frequent here. Cairo's aunt and uncle are used to this by now. They don't mind. However, they would mind the blood."

"Lighten up, Rei," Jaiko teased, gently cuffing the ginger she-cat.

The cat grunted and pulled away from Jaiko, remaining out of his reach. "I hate that nickname," she hissed.

"Why do you think I use it?"

Reijin hissed again, and stalked off back onto the porch, where she sprang onto the swing and curled up, wrapping her tail around her sleeping form and resting the tip over her nose. She closed her eyes, but when Cairo's footsteps approached, one eye opened into a narrow ice-blue slit.

"Okay, dog. Come here." Shuu obediently trotted up to Cairo and sat before her. The girl held the hose in one hand, and a rag in the other. Her long hair was pulled into a neat ponytail, and she had slipped a large, baggy gray shirt over her blouse; she tossed her sweater over to the porch swing.

Finally bending down she grabbed one of Shuu's forelegs and held it up, spraying lukewarm water all over the crimson-stained fur. Streams of red water dribbled down Shuu's forelegs and Shuu's paw twitched.

Cairo wrapped the rag around his leg and lowered the hose for a moment as she rubbed the rag vigorously over his fur. Shuu flinched at the sharp sting of his fur tugging at his flesh—pulling it back and forth, back and forth. Within a few minutes it's over, and once again the lukewarm water sprays over him, washing away the final traces of blood. Then she moves to his other foreleg.

Again the cycle came, the warm water, then the rag and the uncomfortable tugging sensation, and then another spray of water.

Water hit his chest and neck. The pressure was light and easy, and within moments his fur was soaked and dripping red droplets of water. The rag ran from his throat down to his chest, then back up to his throat and back down. A puddle of water with the slightest tint of pinkish-red formed on the ground. The rag came away, and a final jet of water washed away any remnants of last night's bloodshed.

"There we go," Cairo said, standing up and wiping sweat from her forehead. "All that blood's finally gone." She tossed the rag aside and gathered up the coiled blue-green hose. "Don't get yourself dirty again." Then she turned away and headed back around the side of the house, whistling an unfamiliar tune.

"That looked pleasant," purred Reijin from her perch on the swing.

Shuu shrugged. "At least the blood's gone."

"Yes. I doubt the humans would like that stuff all over the place."

Jaiko yawned. "Huh, well, now that that's over with, what shall we do now?"

Shuu didn't respond. He had the feeling he was forgetting…wait! "Damn!" he hissed out loud.

"Eh? What is it, Shuu?" Jaiko shook the thick fur from his yes and stared intently at the German Shepard.

"I forgot something back at the rosebush!" Shuu exclaimed. "Damn it!" Without bothering to explain Shuu whirled around and took off in the direction of the path. He was a long tan-and-black blur as he crashed onto the forest trail and pelted down in the direction of the rosebush.

Reijin sat upright and cocked her ears in Shuu's direction, eyes wide and whiskers stiff. "What…what just happened?"

"I think Shuu forgot something."

"Should we go after him?"

"Nah." Jaiko lumbered onto the porch, where he lay down near the steps and trained his dark eyes on the entrance to the woods. "He'll come back."

--

Shuu's breath came in long ragged gulps as he raced along, rocks and twigs slashing at his pads. He blinked rapidly, trying to keep the wind from stinging his eyes as he neared the familiar section of the path. He slowed his pace and skid to a stop at the rosebush, his breaths escaping his lungs in sharp wheezes. Shaking away his weariness, Shuu scanned the area with his emerald eyes until he saw a small ruffle of scarlet near the bush.

Shuu lunged at it, clamping his jaws around the red cloth, and drew back with May's bandana held tightly between his teeth.

Shuu shook is head, sighing inwardly in relief. Suddenly realized he'd left his new friends without a single word to them Shuu groaned and spun around, returning the way he came at full speed, ignoring the steadily-growing throb in his paws.

**May's POV**

"It's okay May. I'm sure he just left to collect his thoughts."

"I don't know…," May replied doubtfully,

Misty suppressed a sigh and forced her voice to remain clam. "Listen May, if he's gone, he's gone. We can't do anything about it."

"The phone shook in May's hand. "I know. But it's my fault he's gone!" she wailed. "I got mad at him for no reason—"

"He attacked Brendan," Misty growled firmly. "You had every reason to be mad."

"Brendan had it coming!" May protested. "He—He, look, I already told you the whole story!"

"If you miss him so much, why don't you just get another dog?"

"…"

"May, you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," May whispered softly.

"Good. Now, if you miss him, go get another dog. Doesn't Dawn have a cousin that breeds German Shepard dogs? Why not get another puppy?"

"…I guess that could work…"

Misty sighed.

"But…a new pup couldn't replace Shuu."

"Of course it can't. Every pet is special in their own way. But consider it at least, okay?"

"All right," May sighed wearily, finally giving in. "Sorry for taking up your time Misty. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. And it's fine," Misty assured. "That's what friends are for. Well, bye."

"Bye."

Click.

May stared at the phone a few moments longer, and then slowly put it back in the receiver.

**Shuu's POV**

Shuu skidded to a stop at the porch step, panting heavily. A trail of bloody paw prints trailed behind him. Shuu lifted a forepaw and stared at the raw, swollen red pads. Blood oozed from the black skin and Shuu grimaced. Carefully lowering his paw back to the ground, he raised his emerald eyes and met Jaiko's kind dark ones, and Reijin's curious pale blue ones.

"What was that all about…?" questioned Reijin.

"S—Sorry…I—I just forgot…something—something important," Shuu panted. He inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. Finally catching his breath he repeated, "Sorry, I just forgot something important."

"A…bandana?" Jaiko arched his furry brow.

"Oh…," Reijin murmured. "This is your human's, right?"

Shuu lowered his gaze. "Yeah…"

"There's no need to be ashamed," Reijin told him. "To tell the truth, Cairo's family wasn't my first. The little boy that owned me before Cairo was such a sweet lad. But, alas, he was cursed with horrid parents…and he fell sick one day. His parents refused to acknowledge his illness and it ultimately cost him his life. They chased me out after that." Reijin grimaced, imitating Shuu's earlier scowl. "I managed to take one of the tattered blankets he slept with at night. My only reminder of him…" Reijin sighed. "Life is so fragile…"

Jaiko nodded, agreeing. "Especially for humans. They have nothing to defend themselves with. Their nails are too short—and dull."

"Their teeth and small and blunt," Reijin added.

Shuu was silent for a moment, and then whispered, "They trust too easily."

"Aye, I agree with you there," Jaiko murmured, nodding. "Before I found Cairo, I used to have a close friend. Ah, he had a 'friend' that was always taking advantage of him. When this friend had no use for him anymore, well, let's just say it was time to bid farewell."

"It's too easy to take advantage of the human heart." Reijin reared onto er haunches and held out her forepaws in the air above her head. She unsheathed her claws and flexed them in the air, twisting her paws into an angle to it appeared she was strangling something, or perhaps plunging her claws into something's heart… "It's too easy to gain their trust, to win them over with lies, to twist their hearts around, to make them bend to your will, to have them at your beck and call—and then you turn around and"—Reijin hissed sharply, jerking her claws towards the porch in a sudden downward thrust—"to turn around and stab them in the back!" Her unsheathed paws landed over the wooden porch boards with a muffled thump, and she scraped her claws over the boards.

"Selfish," Jaiko muttered. "Humans are truly selfish."

Reijin drew her lips back in the beginnings of a snarl. "Conceited, obnoxious, selfish…_kyah!_" Reijin slammed her paws down over empty air, her eyes burning fiercely. After several tense moments she straightened up and sheathed her claws. The fire in her eyes did not die, and she took in long, rattling, uneven breaths, as though reliving some horrible nightmare.

Jaiko turned to Shuu. "Sorry you had to hear us ranting, Shuu."

"No—it's okay. I can understand. I…I know how selfish humans can be…" Shuu turned and gazed in the direction of town, past the woods. "But…not all humans are like that."

Jaiko and Reijin turned their full attention to him now.

"There was a fire…and a lot of people died helping others. They voluntarily risked their lives…to help others." Shuu narrowed his eyes. "Not all humans are selfish."

* * *

**Me: Kehehehehe. Hope you liked it  
Inuyasha: I fear the reveiwers  
May: You should. You made the Authoress feel bad!  
Drew: He was being honest  
Me: Hey, I'll let them beat you up too. So I suggest you take it back before I give the Reveiwers permission to beat you up too  
Drew: O.O I take it back - I'm sory  
May: Good boy!  
Drew: Why not just let them beat up Kris? -evil smirk-  
Me: -shrug- Eh, why not? Any reviewers who want to beat up Kris are welcome to. Just submit it in the reveiw**


	8. Chapter 8

****

**Okay, I have a very important note that you must read: There is a warning of a hurricane coming my way in the town I live in. The warning said it'd be here around Sunday-ish if it comes. If not, it'll go to Miami. If it does come my way, then my family and I will have to evacuate and junk, meaning I won't have computor or internet access for at least a week, if not more. And then I'll have to finish wrting out the next chapter. So this might be my last chappie for a while. I'll try to write as much as I can until then. Anywayz, on with the story.**

**Yay! New chapter! Guess what? I got a haircut! Uh, not the point. Anyways... Hehehehehe. I never realized how much people hated Kris. Example:**

**(insert reviewer torture here)**

**Inuyasha: Just get on with it  
Me: Pushy pushy  
May: Ignore him  
Me: Easier said than done  
Drew: Zzz...zzz  
Me: Is he asleep?  
May: -pokes Drew- Yeah, he's knocked out  
Inuyasha: Don't blame him - I'd fall asleep too but I might get fired  
Me: What does that mean?  
Inuyasha: Nothing - except the fact that this story is so BORING!  
Me: -evil lightning flash-  
Inuyasha: Meep  
May: Uhh...DemonChild does not own Pokemon or Dog-Boy or us in any way...uh, am I missing anything?  
Drew: Zzz...zzz...zz  
May: I guess not**

* * *

**May's POV**

_Could I really get another dog?_

May paced frantically pack and forth in the living room. She had not seen any trace of Shuu at all that entire day. Nor was there evidence he'd stopped by the house, even for a minute. She was practically tearing the house apart in her worry.

She paused in front of the coffee table and eyed the telephone.

_Should I call Dawn…?_

_Should I ask her to take me back to her cousin's?_

_Can I really replace Shuu?_

That last question tore at her heart.

_Not yet, _she decided. _I haven't looked for him—not everywhere. I'll look. If I can't find him…then I'll have no choice but to call…_

**Shuu's POV**

Shuu trained his eyes on the moon, a thin glowing crescent, and twitched his tail tip back and forth over the porch boards. He was curled up in the corner of the porch, and had tried to sleep, but it just ended up as a fitful rest and he eventually woke up, weary and feeling somewhat dejected. Jaiko had fallen asleep at the porch step, and was snoring peacefully. Reijin was sprawled out on the porch swing like a princess, a look of utmost peace on her ginger face.

Shuu's paw twitched and May's bandana shifted under his pad. The large red cloth was now battered and torn a few places, with the edges frayed and ripped. A few drops of blood had dried on one corner. Shuu sighed and rested his head on his paws, tearing his eyes away from the moon. A tiny sliver of silver light swept across the porch and illuminated the area. His eyes glittered with a somewhat silver-green tint.

Shuu raised his head and fidgeted. He couldn't sleep. It wasn't the whether—or the fact he was sleeping outside. It wasn't as cold as it usually was, which meant that spring was coming. That was good. And he found it peaceful sleeping outside.

He didn't know what was wrong…

**May's POV**

May lay in bed, restless. She couldn't sleep—she wasn't tired. She missed Shuu. She rolled over in bed and gripped the covers so tight her knuckles turned white. Lying on the bed beside her was Shuu, the plush. She didn't know what had happened to the small toy after she had gotten Shuu the dog, but she was glad she'd found the small plush.

May reached out rested her hand on the small plush.

"What am I supposed to do?" she asked it quietly.

She didn't get an answer.

She didn't expect one.

**Shuu's POV**

He didn't know when he'd finally managed to get to sleep.

But he must have, because he woke up to the cold, gray dawn.

Thin streams of pale sunlight in his face woke him up. Shuu stretched and yawned, and then blinked wearily, and looked around. Reijin was lazily groom her foreleg form her seat on the porch swing, and Jaiko had apparently moved sometime during the night, seeing as he was now resting in the shade cast by the porch swing.

Shuu sat up and glanced around, unsure of what to do. He felt restless and felt the need to just run around. Jaiko's eyes opened slightly, and he remarked, "You okay, Shuu? You don't look so good."

"…Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little…restless."

Reijin sat up and purred, "Then go ahead and take a walk, dear."

"Cairo won't mind if I just leave?"

"No. We're constantly up and about," Jaiko replied cheerfully. "Just go on. She won't get worried."

Shuu shrugged. "If you say so." Fighting against the urge to rush off into the woods, Shuu calmly padded onto the forest trail. Shuu paused once he was blocked from view, realizing he'd forgotten May's bandana. Should he…? No. He'd just leave it there.

Resuming his walk Shuu allowed his thoughts to wander as he released his locked up energy. A chilly wind blew through his fur and ruffled it slightly. He liked the breeze in his face, and stopped for several moments to feels its cool touch against his skin.

**May's POV**

May placed her mug of half-drunken coffee in the sink and sighed. She checked the time: 8:00. Why'd she have to wake up so early? She was already fully dressed despite her weariness. Finally she took her car keys and purse, deciding to devote her time o searching for Shuu.

Putting the key in the ignition, she started the car and pulled out of the driveway. "Where should I look first…?" she asked herself. "The park?" She mulled it over in her mind for a moment, and then nodded. "Yeah, the park. That's a good place to search."

Almost automatically she made her way down the familiar road to the park, where she found a nice parking space.

The park was pretty crowded for a Sunday. She saw various couples and families picnicking, happily stretched out on a blanket over the grass, laughing and smiling, enjoying the warming weather.

She saw a young girl in a gray sweater shifting her weight from foot to foot, clapping and calling to a large husky dog. The dog barked and slid its upper body down, inviting the girl to play. Then the dog sprang away and snatched up a nearby tennis ball. The girl called to the dog, which wagged its tail happily and then ran off to the other side of the park with the girl, who had broken out in laughter, following in hot pursuit.

One of the couples picnicking had a small Yorkshire terrier and a Dachshund with them. The two young dogs were wrestling playfully with each other, nipping at the other's heels and tackling playfully, yipping and howling contentedly while their owner looked on in amusement, laughing every so often and commenting to one another.

A young man was out jogging with a mix-breed dog with Labrador-like features, but apparently twice the size of a Lab, and it had boxer-like markings.

May began her walk throughout the park, turning her head every which way, searching for Shuu. She wondered where he had slept last night. She hoped he was okay.

May took a path that cut through a section of the park that was mostly grass, with a border of oak trees several yards away from the actual trail. May occasionally encountered a couple walking, a jogger, or someone walking their dog, but the path was mostly deserted. The path soon split in two and May decided to head back, and took the left path which twisted around in gentle U-turn and led her back to the wide open field.

When May came back to the field she sighed in defeat. She didn't see a single dog resembling Shuu in any way. "Maybe I should just give up and listen to Misty," she muttered to herself, kicking a small stone away. She shrugged and absentmindedly moved over to a nearby bench. Falling onto the wooden seat, she buried her head in her hands. Her eyes watered and unshed tears stung her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Shuu…"

**Shuu's POV**

Shuu flattened his ears when he reached the edge of the trail, and stared out into the field. He had an odd feeling, as if he should just turn around and head back. But he still had a lot of unused energy, so he pushed away the feeling and ventured out from behind the trees and onto the grass. The grass was soft and springy underfoot, soaking wet with dew.

He noticed right away how crowded it was. He saw dozens of dogs of all breeds running all over the place, yipping, howling, barking…just working up a racket in general. Shuu snorted. At least they had someone who cared about them. "Better count your blessings," he muttered to himself.

Shaking away his bitterness Shuu lazily sauntered into the park, pricking his ears. He suddenly felt a little jumpy. "Maybe coming here was a bad idea," he mumbled. _Something's wrong with me today._

Shuu padded over to a tall oak tree, where he stretched out at its base and rested his head on the cool grass. Maybe he could get some sleep here…

He could feel the dew that soaked the grass seep into his thick fur, and then felt the wind whisper in his ears, chilling him as it swept over the water-slicked patches of fur. The wind bit into his flesh, making him shiver slightly. He inhaled the sweet scent of grass with every breath. The calming aroma soothed him, and caused his tensed muscles to loosen slowly but surely.

Not too long after his eyes closed and he drifted into an odd yet peaceful semi-sleep. He was asleep, but not fully—he was half awake. He was aware of what was going on, but vaguely, and he his eyes were closed.

A breeze tickled his nose, and he sneezed, jarring his fully awake. He yawned, and attempted to go back to sleep, but felt the sudden urge to look up. Deciding to just listen to the urge he sat up, yawned again, and blinked his eyes open. He jumped, shocked, when he saw May sitting on a bench about a hundred yards or so away form him, her head in her hands.

Shuu sat there, stunned, eyes wide.

**May's POV**

_Someone's watching me…_

_Don't…_

_Don't stare at me._

_I don't like it…_

May took in a breath, shuddering, and lifted her head, wiping her eyes free of tears. When she opened her eyes, she was shocked at what she saw.

A German Shepard was sitting at the base of an oak tree…and was staring at her! May caught a glint of emerald, and she instantly recognized Shuu.

Her mouth hung open in shock, and she stammered to herself, "Sh-Sh—Shuu!"

**Shuu's POV**

Shuu jumped when he noticed May staring at her. He raised his eyes to hers and their eyes locked for a split second—sapphire and emerald. Then the moment was broken as Shuu blinked rapidly and backed away, never taking his eyes off May. After retreating several feet Shuu spun around, finally tearing his gaze away from May.

_Damn. What's she doing here?!_

Shuu risked a glance over his shoulder, groaning inwardly when he saw May spring to her feet.

_Nothing's ever easy! Why can't I have a break? Just once?_

Shuu flattened his ear and leaned towards the wind, narrowing his eyes as the sharp gust tore at his fur. Shuu slipped easily onto the forest trail and thundered down the path, ignoring the numbing sensation spreading through his paws as the pads were cut and torn and rubbed raw.

**May's POV**

May was frozen in place for a quick moment as Shuu shot out of the park and towards the woods. But she quickly recovered and followed after the Shepard, trying to keep him within her line of vision.

_Please, Shuu, just wait!_

The forest path Shuu turned onto was completely unknown to May. She didn't know where it led, how long it was, whether or not it was dangerous…but she didn't stop for a minute to even consider the danger—she just had to catch up to Shuu.

May took in a deep breath of icy air and quickened her pace, f only for a moment. She heard Shuu yelp just up ahead, and when she had caught up somewhat he was holding his left forepaw in the air, wincing. The trail was covered in a line of smeared, faintly visible bloody paw prints. Shuu noticed her and growled, limping backwards down the path.

"C-Come on, Shuu," May panted. "I'll help you, come on. Just…just come here, please."

The fur along Shuu's spine bristled in mistrust.

"Please, Shuu, you can trust me."

_No. I don't think I can._

"Please, I'm sorry, Shuu."

A sound resembling a mix of a growl and a whimper rose up form his throat, but his eyes still glittered with indecision. His ears pressed against his throat in a non-threatening way, and he took a small, hesitant step towards her.

May kneeled down slowly and held out her hands. "That's it, come on Shuu," she murmured gently. "C'mon…"

Shuu stopped suddenly, and blinked. He looked away from her, squeezing his eyes shut. He pulled away from her, and when his looked at her again, the look in his eyes clearly read: _I can't…I can't do this…_

Then he spun around and sped off, leaving a trail of blood paw prints in his wake.

"Shuu!" May wailed.

She leapt back to her feet and once again followed him, slightly out of breath but still determined. She heard a crashing sound and rounded a slight curve in the path to see Shuu's tail-tip disappear in the undergrowth. Following, May found herself on a thinner, secluded path. Shuu had a fair head start, and was already some dozen yards away, and getting farther and farther with every passing moment.

May swallowed another breath of air and then tore off after the black-and-tan animal. Up ahead she saw Shuu pause for a few brief minutes beside a rosebush growing along the edge of the path. But as she got nearer his ears twitched and flicked towards her. His shoulders sagged slightly as he gazed at the blood-red roses, and then he turned away without a backwards glance and sped off again.

May tried calling his name, but her voice caught in her throat. She felt her left foot hook in something—maybe an overgrown root from one of the trees, maybe a rock. All the same, she lost her balance and tripped, falling heavily onto the cold, hard earth. What little air she had left in her lungs was crushed from her being. May's eyes watered as slammed against the ground.

Weakly she raised her head and called after Shuu, "Please! Shuu, wait!"

_I can't…_

"Shuu!" Tears began to slide down May's cheeks.

She thought she saw his step falter slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and added on an extra boost of speed. Before long he had disappeared down the trail, hidden by the thick underbrush and trees.

May stared at the spot where she'd last seen Shuu, her sapphire blue eyes glistening with tears. She shut her eyes tightly, choking back a sob.

A chilling wind howled, rushing past the wind and into her ears.

It seemed to whisper to her.

Taunting her.

**Shuu's POV**

Jaiko and Reijin perked up when they heard Shuu coming. Almost immediately they sensed something wrong and came up to greet him as he staggered to the porch steps, limping awkwardly as he held up a forepaw. His pads had been completely rubbed raw from his harsh run. Sticky strands of blood trailed down his leg and onto the porch.

"What happened, Shuu?" Jaiko questioned. The older dog went up to the Shepard and allowed the panting hound to lean against him as he made his way up the porch steps.

"Did something go wrong on your walk?" inquired Reijin.

"Y—You could…say that," Shuu panted between breaths as he collapsed onto the solid wooded boards.

"Tell us, dear," Reijin encouraged, her voice gentle.

Taking a few deep breaths to slow his rapidly beating heart, Shuu recounted the events that took place at the park. "And…and I ran," he concluded with a sigh. Shuu dropped his head onto his forepaws.

"Why did you run?" questioned Reijin lightly, tipping her head to one side. "She did apologize, after all."

Shuu's tail tip twitched. "Yeah, for now. But I'm positive that that kid will come after her once he's released form the hospital. Then what? What if this happens again?"

"Maybe she learned her lesson, Shuu," Jaiko suggested. "By he sounds of it, she did sound pretty upset by what happened."

Shuu shrugged. "I guess…," he mumbled. "But I'm not going back there." Shuu lifted his head and held his forepaw to his muzzle. Rasping his tongue over his wounded pad, he muttered, "I've had enough running for today."

Jaiko chuckled, and seemed ready to comment. But his light laughter suddenly deepened, and took on a rough edge. Soon his chuckle slid into a raspy cough, and Jaiko's frame trembled suddenly and fiercely. Reijin let out a yowl of alarm, and Shuu sprang up, surprise etched upon his face.

Reijin bounded over to Jaiko's side and looked up at her old friend. "Are—are you okay, Jaiko? What's wrong?"

"Ah…nothing, nothing," Jaiko replied, his voice rasping. "Just…just a little cold, is all."

Reijin's eyes clouded over doubtfully, and she urged the old dog over to the spot underneath the porch swing. Glancing over her shoulder at Shuu, she told him, "Scratch at the door. Go get Cairo."

Shuu nodded obediently, rising stiffly to his paws. Pausing at the screen door, Shuu raised his paw and scratched at the door. His nails made an odd, scraping sound, but when no one immediately responded, he placed both forepaws against the black screen and shook it, barking loudly.

"That's a little more than scratching," Reijin remarked dryly.

"But it got their attention," Shuu replied, dropping his forepaws and stepping away as first the door opened and then the screen. Cairo stood in the doorway, her stormy eyes curious. "What is it? What's wrong, boy?"

Shuu whined once and jerked his muzzle in Jaiko's direction. Reijin instantly launched herself at Cairo, meowing loudly and frantically. Cairo picked Reijin up into her arms and moved over to where Jaiko rested. Kneeling, she stared intently at the sheepdog for several tense moments, during which Reijin fidgeted in Cairo's arms and Shuu paced back and forth over the boards, despite his injured paws.

At last Cairo stood and shot back into the house. She called to her aunt and uncle, stating, "Something's wrong with Jaiko!"

They heard three different muffled voices discuss what Cairo had just said for a while, before both Cairo and two adults appearing in their early forties' came out onto the porch. The adults ignored Shuu and Reijin, who had leapt from Cairo's arms and now stood beside Shuu, her tail-tip twitching anxiously. The female adult, Cairo's aunt, muttered, "Better take him to the vet."

Cairo's uncle nodded in agreement and replied, "Go get the car started. I'll carry this old boy to the van in a moment."

Cairo's aunt nodded and vanished into the house, reappearing minutes later in a coat, with her purse and the car keys in her hand. Hustling down the porch steps, she disappeared around the corner of the house. Meanwhile, the man crouched before Jaiko and gently pulled him closer. With a final tug he hefted the sheepdog into his arms and stood. As he passed Cairo, he said, "Hurry up" and then he too left.

Cairo blinked once, her concern for Jaiko etched all over her face, and then she held open the front door. "Okay, in. I don't want you two getting sick too. So, in." Reijin flattened her ears and slid past the girl, squeezing through the narrow gap and vanishing from sight with a flick of her ginger tail.

Shuu hastily snatched up May's bandana form where he'd left it earlier this morning and trotted past Cairo. She, however, closed the door on him and said, "What is that?" Shuu lifted his head to her. Cairo reached out and felt the limp, torn cloth. "Oh…a bandana, I see. Here." She bent down on her knees until she was eye level with him and gently took the cloth from his mouth. As Shuu stared, his eyes blank and expression unreadable, Cairo tied the bandana around his neck, double-knotting it to ensure it wouldn't fall. She patted his head warmly and then held the door open for him.

**May's POV**

_What did I do to deserve this?_

May sat sadly beside Drew's grave. She ran her finger along the rough edge of the cement headstone. "Sorry I haven't visited in a while. I've been busy." May avoided looked directly at the grave, and instead focused her gaze down at the small tufts of grass growing along the earth near the grave.

May absentmindedly plucked at a few blades.

"That's still no excuse," she added after a moment. "I should have made time."

She paused.

"Do you forgive me? I don't want two people mad at me."

Another pause.

"Well, he's not technically a person—but he acts like one." May sighed softly and tipped her head back, closing her eyes. "I think you'd have liked Shuu. He's such a sweet dog. Sweet but crazy. It seems as though he was sent for one purpose: to drive me crazy." She chuckled. "He's a German Shepard—just like the little doll you got me a few years back. The resemblance is scary, actually."

May sat there for a while, allowing herself to relax for the first time in days, if only for a moment. Finally, taking deep breath, she added shakily, "But…something happened. I don't want to go into the details…but now he's gone. I miss him. And…I saw him just before coming here. It was like he didn't trust me anymore."

She took another deep breath.

"If anything happens, please lead me to him."

May stroked to cool stone once more, and then stood up.

"Sorry, but I have to go now. I'll come back again. I promise. I love you."

_Love you…_

-Home-

May closed the front door behind her. Wearily locking it, she tossed her purse on the first few steps on the stairs and made her way into the kitchen, picking up the phone in the living room as she passed. Once in the kitchen, she tore off a few sheets of paper towels and then took an ice pack from the freezer. Wrapping the towel around the ice, she held it up to a cut over one eye she'd gotten when she'd fallen that morning.

It wasn't too big, which was a relief. And the wound hadn't bled much. But there was a bruise already forming around it, and it hurt like hell. The icy touch of the ice pack stun at first, but soon soothed the stinging cut, as well as May's throbbing head, and within minutes May found herself relaxing.

Taking a seat at the kitchen table, May dialed Misty's number and listened to the ringing until someone picked up. She counted eight rings.

"Hello?"

"Misty? Hi, it's May."

"Oh, May, how are you?"

"I'm…fine, I guess."

"Okay, what happened?" Heh, that was Misty. She'd always been able to sense when something was wrong with her friends.

May bit her lip and replied, "Everything."

"Huh?"

"I went out to the park today," May explained. "I thought Shuu might be there."

"Well? Was he?"

"Yeah…but…" May hesitantly told Misty about her encounter with Shuu. She blinked away unshed tears which had begun to form in her eyes halfway through the explanation, and choked back a sob. "I don't know what to think anymore. I miss him, but I don't think I can deal with this."

"Well…I really don't know what to suggest, May," Misty said awkwardly. "I mean, I know that losing a pet can be difficult…but I honestly don't know what to do. My advice is to get another dog. Why not call Dawn up? You could go get a pup tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, I could. I guess I don't have much of a choice, huh?"

"That's it then."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"Well, glad to help. Um, see ya around."

"Yeah."

Click.

May stared at the phone for what seemed like an eternity, and then slowly tapped out Dawn's number.

* * *

**Me: There it is. I hope you liked it :)  
Inuyasha: The beginning sucked  
Me: T-T  
May: Bad dog!  
Drew: Zzz...zzz...zz...  
Me: I had writer's block...but I got over it :)  
Inuyasha: You sicken me  
Me: :P  
Inuyasha: wench  
Drew: Zzz...zzzz...zz...  
May: You jerk! And is Drew still asleep?  
Me: Looks like  
Inuyasha: Keh  
May: You really need an attitude change. The Authoress and the Reviewers might not like it  
Inuyasha: I don't give a damn about them  
Me & May: Le Gasp!  
Inuyasha: What?  
May: Y-You're an even bigger mutt than I thought!  
Inuyasha: Say that to my face! -pulls out Tetsusaiga-  
Drew: I wouldn't do that, if I were you -evil lightning flash-  
Inuyasha: -whimper-  
Me: O.o So now he wakes up?  
May: Eh. He's freaky like that  
Drew: Take that back. I'm not freaky  
May: You appear out of nowhere at random times in the Anime  
Drew: T-T Not my fault the creators chose to do that  
Me: Read and Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi, new chapter. Yes I'm aware this one is much shorter than my usual chapters, and already hate myself enough for it T-T**

**The reason it's so short is because, 1) The ending seemed rather ominous and cliferhangerie 2) I had slight writer's block. I'm really sorry, but I think the next chapter might be a little shorter than usual too. Just bear with me, kay? Chapters 9 and 10 won't be very long, but 11 will. Promise. Oh, and guess what? The hurricane went off somewhere else, so I'll be able to update normally again**

**Me: Okay, someone disclaim NOW  
May: Are you okay or something?  
Me: Not really. I think I'm going to have to fire Inu  
May: Dog-ears?  
Me: Yeaz  
Drew: And this is a loss how?  
Me: It's not, but the people who sponser the author's notes in this fic might not be too pleased  
May: Are you going to hire a repacement?  
Me: Yeaz  
Drew: Who?  
Me: He gets here at the end of the chapter  
May: Did Dog-ears leave already?  
Me: He's packing his stuff. He should be leaving...now  
Inuyasha: Damn you all to hell! I'm glad to be outta here! You guys are all crazy -sniff-  
Me: Don't make me feel bad - the short chapter already has me down in the dumps  
Inuyasha: Obviously you've never been fired!  
Me: Obviously. I'm not old enough to work  
Drew: Well, I guess May and I should disclaim now  
May & Drew: DemonChild does not own Pokemon - if she did, Killer Furbies would rule the world  
Me: XD**

* * *

Shuu stared from his spot behind the couch as Reijin's tail twitched nervously. The ginger-furred she-cat had been sitting on the window sill ever since Cairo and her aunt and uncle had left with Jaiko. How long ago was that? About three hours. And she hadn't budged an inch since then.

"Hey, Reijin, are you still alive?"

"…"

"Hello?"

"…"

"I guess that's a no."

"…" Reijin's ear flicked back towards him. "Sorry," she murmured, never looked away from the window. "What was that?"

Shuu rolled his eyes and sighed. "Nothing."

"I hope Jaiko's okay."

"I'm sure he's fine," Shuu comforted, though he himself was unsure.

"I don't know… That cough sounded pretty bad," Reijin fretted. "And he's getting old. He won't admit it, but he is. That's what worries me."

"Well, don't. He'll be fine."

"You'd better be right," Reijin growled.

They heard the sound of tires in the driveway suddenly, and Reijin pricked her ears. "I think their back," she mewed. Shuu stood and shook out his fur, then padded up to the window, where he placed his forepaws on the window sill and reared onto his haunches. Through the glass he could hear the car engine growl steadily, and the sound was soon cut off. Car doors slammed and Cairo's aunt came towards the house somewhat ahead of the other two, the keys jangling wildly in her hands.

Shuu's ear twitched slightly at the sound of the lock turning, but he didn't look away from the window. The front door creaked open and the hinges screeched. Cairo's aunt hustled inside and moved into the kitchen, muttering something that sounded vaguely like, "…blankets…hot water…warm bed…" and trailed off as she left the room.

Cairo's uncle soon came into view. He carried the old sheepdog in his arms again, and as he came to the front door he kicked it open wider and laid Jaiko on the couch. Then, his expression unreadable, he turned away and left the room. Reijin frowned, and slinked up to Jaiko. She stared at her old friend silently, and then whispered, "He's asleep."

Shuu nodded and saw Cairo finally come around the corner of the house. She seemed upset, and her head was drooping. She never came inside. Instead, the chains holding the porch swing in place began to creak softly. Shuu and Reijin cautiously crept outside and paused in the doorway. Cairo ignored them both.

"Why d I have such a bad feeling?" Reijin wondered softly.

"Because something bad just happened," Shuu answered.

**May's POV**

"Thanks for driving me back out here, Dawn," May said quietly.

"No problem, May," Dawn replied quickly. "I called Alec before I picked you up. You remember that little Shepard you were playing with last time we came? Tsuki? Alec says he still has her. You think she might be the right pup for you?"

"Maybe," May replied. "Tsuki certainly was playful that day."

"Yeah, she was." They were silent the rest of the way there. Finally, as Dawn turned off the dirt road and pulled into her cousin's front yard, she said, "Well, we're back."

"I just hope that creep isn't around."

"Ugh, Kris? Whenever you don't want him around is when he's around," Dawn stated. "That's how it always is with people you hate."

May groaned. "That really doesn't help me."

"Sorry."

Alec came out to greet them. He waved from the porch, shouting, "Hey cousin, hi May."

Dawn turned off the ignition and stepped out of the car. "Hi Alec. How are the puppies?"

"Healthy, playful, psychotic," Alec replied. "The usual."

"Hi, Alec," May greeted a little glumly.

"Uh…I heard about Shuu," Alec began awkwardly, as though unsure of what to say. "Sorry."

"It's fine. He was a stray with a mind of his own. If he wanted to leave I couldn't stop him."

"Yeah, well, do you want to see the pups?"

"Sure."

"Come on, then, you two." Alec held open his front door and waited for them to catch up.

**Shuu's POV**

Cairo slumped back in the porch swing, her expression blank. "They said he's dying."

Reijin jumped, startled. Up to this point Cairo had been quiet, but now she had startled them by this sudden statement. Reijin glanced at Shuu, her eyes wide and fearful. She looked as if she didn't want to believe this, but at the same time she appeared to have been expecting this all along. Shuu himself seemed stunned.

"They said he's dying," she repeated. "They said his cold is intensified tenfold because of his old age and then weather. I feel like it's my fault. I should've noticed earlier. Ugh." She sat up and placed her head in her hands. She sat there like that for a period of time. Finally she took a shuddering breath and spoke again. "He's going to be put to sleep next week." Cairo slowly pulled her hands away and stood. She cast Shuu and Reijin one last sad look, and then vanished inside.

Cairo left the front door open, but closed the screen door. If it got too cold, it would be simple enough to open the screen door and come inside.

Reijin sighed and sadly slipped under h porch swing. Curling up in its dark shade, her icy eyes stared accusingly at Shuu from the darkness. "I thought you said he'd be all right."

**May's POV**

May had finally decided to take Tsuki. She stroked the small dog's soft fur and smiled softly. She picked up the puppy and returned her to her pen. May would come back in a few days with Dawn again to finalize the purchase and take Tsuki home. She'd have to get stocked up on food, treats, training equipment, and toys first.

"So," Alec began as May came back inside. "Is Tsuki the one you want?"

"Yeah, she's really friendly. And we get along just great," May answered, though her voice lacked some enthusiasm. She must still miss Shuu.

"That's awesome, May." Dawn slung her purse over one shoulder as she stood up form her seat at the kitchen table. "We should really get going though. It's getting dark outside." As Dawn and May bid farewell to Alec, Dawn asked suddenly, "That creep Kris didn't bother you, did he?"

"No, not really. I mean, I didn't see him at all, but I still felt as if he was watching me."

"Yeah, Kris has that eerie effect on people," Alec agreed. "But I saw his car taking off down the road towards town about a half hour after you went outside."

"I bet he's out buying more lighters," Dawn muttered. "Or lighters."

"I wouldn't be surprised," May commented dryly.

In Dawn's car, as she started the ignition, Dawn asked, "May…are you okay? You seemed kinda…off back there."

"Huh?" May blinked and faced her friend. "I'm fine, I'm fine, really. It's just, I don't know, some of the Shepard puppies reminded me of Shuu."

"How so?"

"Some of them had that same innocent look Shuu sometimes gave me when I got mad. And some of them have markings similar to his."

"Ah, well, uh…" Dawn wasn't really sure what to say.

The friends fell silent as Dawn pulled into the road. The headlights cast an amber-golden light across the road in the first few yards before melting into the shadows. Besides this, the road was completely dark. The sound of a second car engine roaring suddenly became clear. Dawn squinted, trying to see any headlights, but saw none. Suddenly a dark silhouette appeared in front of them and soon the eerie, hazy features of a large car came into view.

If the driver saw them—and they were pretty sure they did—they didn't show it. In fact, they seemed to speed up a little, if anything. Dawn yelped and May cried, "Get out of the way!" The car lurched and the tires screeched. The sharp tang of burning rubber filled the air as Dawn swerved to avoid a head-on collision.

The other car drove right on by, and as they passed through the glare of the headlights, May noticed the driver's face. "Damn that Kris!" she hissed.

"That was Kris?" Dawn scowled, and added, "Well, it certainly seems like something he would do. What was he trying for? An explosion? Geez, if we'd crashed it could've killed all of us."

"Maybe that's what he was hoping for," May remarked icily. Her run-in with death hadn't exactly lightened her mood.

**Shuu's POV**

Jaiko's health dwindled as the days went on.

Reijin placed a forepaw on the window and peered into the house. Shuu rested his head on his paws, staring dully into the woods. Jaiko lay on the couch inside, unmoving, barley breathing. He was covered by a large, thick winter blanket. He trembled and his sides shook with a sharp, rasping cough.

"He's getting worse," Reijin informed Shuu.

"He shouldn't be suffering. They should've put him down that day they went to the vet."

"I know," Reijin agreed. "I hate to see him suffer too. But he's being put down tomorrow." She finally turned her back to the window and padded up to Shuu. She sat down beside him and curled her tail around her forepaws. "It's all so unfair," she growled. "Winter's finally coming to an end, and spring is coming. But Jaiko won't be alive to see the flowers bloom or hear the birds chirping or feel the warm spring air."

"Life is never fair."

"You are not helping my mood."

"I'm stating a fact. No need to bare your fangs."

The ginger cat unsheathed her claws and flexed them over the floor boards. "I'm not mad at you, Shuu. It's not your fault he's dying. I just wish there was something we could do to stop it."

"When the choice is made for a life to end, there's nothing you can do about it," Shuu said gruffly. "That's just something everyone knows, but can't seem to grasp."

"Or accept," Reijin meowed lightly.

Shuu didn't answer. His paw twitched, and he put it up to the tattered bandana around his neck. He grimaced as he felt the torn cloth, ragged edges, and small holes. He should've have taken better care of it.

For the rest of the day the two animals waited in stony silence as night fell. When it finally did, Reijin fluffed out her fu and murmured, "Well…goodnight, Shuu. I'm going inside. I don't want Jaiko's last night to be spent alone." Reijin went up to the door and began to scrap at the screen.

Shuu wordlessly stood up and pawed at the handle until it twisted, then nudged the door open. As he turned away from her, Shuu mumbled, "Tell Jaiko I said goodnight."

Reijin nodded and slipped inside. A moment later the screen door clicked shut.

A cold wind ruffled Shuu's fur, but he didn't shiver. He was used to it by now. What he wasn't used to was this new sense of lonesomeness that grew with every passing moment. He'd realized a while ago that this feeling had been with him since that day at the park—perhaps even a little before that—but he'd just hadn't paid attention to it—or he'd tried to ignore it.

Shuu inhaled deeply and sighed. Tomorrow would bring new grief.

--

A thin sliver of sunlight woke Shuu.

The first thing he noted was that a storm was coming. The sky was dark and gray. Storm clouds gathered in the distance. He thought he even heard the slight rumble of thunder far off. The next thing he noticed was that Reijin was perched on the porch railing. Without even looking at him, she stated simply, "It's time."

"They're taking him now?"

"Yes. They're getting him read. The car's already turned on."

"This must be hard for them."

"It is." Reijin paused, and her tail twitched. "Cairo found him as a stray a few years ago. I had been with Cairo's family for a while then. He didn't stay with them right away. He'd come and visit often, but he'd never come inside." Reijin's eyes began to slit as she tipped her head back. "I remember he came one late afternoon. He seemed frantic, as if something bad were going to happen. They ignored him. I didn't. Probably saved my life."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah…that night there was a fire. It spread quickly, too. I followed Jaiko away from the woods and neighborhood, and finally got sick of it. When I was getting ready to head back, Jaiko came with me and when we came within view of the neighborhood, it was ablaze with crimson flames. It was terrible. We found Cairo among the survivors and Jaiko stayed with her since then. Cairo's aunt and uncle were tracked down and then, well, here we are. I owe my lie to that dog."

Shuu remained silent.

The door opened just then. Cairo and her uncle came out onto the porch. Her uncle held Jaiko yet again. Gently laying the old dog on the porch floor, he said, "Okay, you three have a few minutes to say goodbye, and then we have to go. The faster he's put out of her misery the better."

"You make it sound as if you don't care," Cairo said bitterly.

"I do care, but I barley knew him. Besides, it's better this way." And then he was gone.

Cairo crouched beside Jaiko and gently lifted his head into her lap as Reijin sprang lightly down from the porch railing. Reijin pressed her muzzle into his fur and murmured, "Goodbye, dear friend. I hope your pain ends soon."

Jaiko took a deep shuddering breath. "I hope you won't grieve for me, Rei." Then Jaiko turned his glassy eyes towards Shuu. When Shuu lifted his emerald gaze, Jaiko locked eyes with his and rasped, "Perhaps we'll meet again, Shuu."

"Perhaps."

"I wish you well with your problems."

"Thank you, Jaiko. You've helped me greatly. I hope you don't have to suffer more than necessary."

"Don't worry about me. My time was bound to end."

"I just wish you'd be able to scent the smells of spring," Reijin murmured.

"I have a feeling I still will," Jaiko assured her. "Take care and be strong." He turned back to Shuu again, and their eyes met one last time. Jaiko gave a weak, knowing smile. "Don't forget to give her a rose next time you see her."

* * *

**Me: Ominous last words  
Drew: Tell me about it  
May: So where's Dog-ears replacement?  
Me: Oh, he's coming...now.**

**-Poof-**

**Sesshomaru: -blink- Where am I?  
Me: You're in the Author's Notes of Haunted!  
Sesshomaru: Oh Kami no! Inuyasha warned me not to trust you!  
Me: I'm hurt, Fluffy. I'm one of your biggest fans! I wouldn't hurt you. You're so unhurtable  
Drew: Is that even a word?  
Me: If it isn't, it is now  
Sesshomaru: -twitch- If I go insane you're paying for my therapy  
Me: Sure sure  
May: What's with the fluffy thing?  
Me: Every fan wonders...  
Sesshomaru: -sweatdrop- Uh...  
Drew: Seeing as everyone else forgot, read and review  
Me: But the fluff is so soft an fluffy looking, like a cloud  
Sesshomaru: Do not compare my fluff with your pitiful human clouds  
May: O.o Wow, that sounded...odd  
Me: Yes...Yes it did**


	10. Chapter 10

**IMPORTANT NOTE: I have changed my penname, so you all know. It is now Fyre Mistress A.J. Don't ask about my choice of penname, but my mom didnt like my last penname and my 1st one was dull so I came up with this one. Fyre cuz I like fire (duh) Mistress is self-explanitory (I AM female) and A.J. cuz my 1st and middle name make the initials A.J. Now that this pointless note is done, R&R**

**T-T Another short chapter. I hate it all. Plz don't be mad. I'm already mad at myself.**

**Me: Ah, another chapter  
Sesshy: Hn  
Me: What's that supposed to mean?  
Sesshy: Hn  
Me: You could at least say something besides 'Hn'!!  
Sesshy: ...Hn  
Me: -eye twitch-  
May: So...regret firing Dog-ears yet?  
Me: Actually...no. At least Fluffy doesn't argue. Now someone disclaim  
May: DemonChild doesn't own us, Fluffy, or Pokemon. If she did...uh...if she did, all the recurring male characters would have pink hair! Yea, let's go with that  
Drew: O.O  
Me: XD  
May: What?  
Fluffy: Hn**

* * *

The storm clouds came closer after Cairo, her aunt and uncle left. A claw of lightning ripped open the sky above the woods and lit up Shuu's eyes. A violent roar of thunder soon followed. The rain drizzled down lightly at first. It soon began to pound down heavily, though. The crashing sound of heavy raindrops against the covered porch and house roof echoed strangely in Shuu's ears.

Reijin bristled slightly at the next thunderclap. Her eyes flickered silver with the next glow of lightning, but swiftly melted back into their original coloring once the light faded. She paced in a circle for a while, until the next clap of thunder sent her leaping onto the porch railing. She unsheathed her claws and sunk them into the water-soaked wood.

A steady stream of water trickled down from the edge of the porch roof and drizzled down Reijin's back. If she noticed she gave no indication. Her eyes were glazed and empty. She seemed tired. Shuu flattened his ears as a sharp, chilling wind ruffled his coat, and then cocked them in the direction of the woods.

The tree branches were being whipped back and forth violently. Leaves were ripped from the trees and strewn wildly across the path and yard. Water soaked into the earth and a thick pool of mud began to form.

**May's POV**

May sighed as she pulled back the curtain. The heavy rain didn't seem ready to lighten any time soon. May shook her head as she let the curtain drop back over the window. She guessed she'd just have to go to the pet store with Tsuki the next day and pick out everything then.

May made herself a cup of coffee and sat down on the couch. Taking a sip of the steaming liquid, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back. The sudden storm was not good. If it got any worse, the streets could flood, or lightning might strike down a building and start a fire. It was almost like a hurricane.

A snarl of thunder shook the house. May jumped slightly, and then forced herself to relax. _It's only thunder,_ she told herself. _Thunder can't hurt me. _A flash of lightning enveloped the room in blinding white light. _Lightning, however, can._

Another explosion of thunder made her ears ring. Lightning flickered in the sky and cast a glare of light, and a split second later another thunderclap followed. Almost instantly the living room light went out, plunging the room in total darkness. May inwardly moaned and placed her coffee cup on the coffee table. She took several deep breaths to calm herself and then stood up.

In the kitchen she rummaged around for a flashlight, and tried to turn it on when she finally did find one. It refused to turn on. Great. Just great. May gritted her teeth as she searched for batteries.

**Shuu's POV**

It was nearly impossible to tell the time of day by now. It could be late afternoon or early evening, for all they knew. Glancing up towards the sky, Shuu didn't even think he'd be able to believe if it _was_ only late in the afternoon. The sky was ashen gray in color, with a smoke-like haze of black clouds. Thunder exploded in the air around them and a glare of lightning turned the thick raindrops to pale golden-white.

Shuu's ears twitched as the sound of a tire running over water rose above the hissing rain. Mud and water sprayed into the air as the car slowly pulled up beside the house. Shuu got to his paws and padded over to the porch steps, ears cocked. Reijin sprang down from her spot on the railing and landing in a pool of mud. She was soaking wet almost instantly, but she didn't seem to notice.

Cairo's aunt came first, her eyes red and swollen. She hastily opened the front door and shuffled inside. Cairo's uncle soon followed at a lower pace. He carried a large mass wrapped in a thick blanket, with a white towel spread over it. Cairo herself trailed behind slowly. Her hair was plastered to her face, and she too was soaking wet.

Pushing her dripping bangs away from her eyes, she picked Reijin from the mud and sat down on the first step with the shivering ginger cat in her lap. Cairo slowly began to stroke Reijin's limp red fur. "Well, that's it, girl. Old Jaiko's finally gone. At least he wasn't in pain."

Reijin said nothing, not that Cairo could understand.

Cairo's uncle called for her then.

"Cairo! Can you go get me the shovel?"

"Y-Yeah, I'll be right there," Cairo answered, her voice trembling.

She gently lifted Reijin and placed her on the porch before racing off to the tool shed just out of sight from the porch. Shuu didn't even glance at Reijin, but asked, "Are you going to come?"

"N-Not yet," Reijin spoke. "I'll catch up soon."

Without a word Shuu trotted down the steps and felt his paws sink into the must almost immediately. Taking long strides, Shuu forced his way through the thickening slime and followed Cairo's quickly dissolving footprints to the side of the house. The young girl came out of a small, shabby looking shed with a large, rusted shovel. Se handed it to her uncle without a word and leaned against a nearby tree as she watched her uncle sink the shovel's blade into the soft earth and begin to dig.

Shuu made his way over to the man's side and watched in silence as the shovel sunk into the ground and came back up. The man had laid Jaiko's lifeless body at the base of the tree Cairo leaned against, and she kept her eyes trained sightlessly into the distance.

Reijin joined them a short while later, appearing to have shrunken in size as her wet, limp fur, coated in layers of mud, hung around her legs and sides. By this time the hole was about three feet deep.

The rain began to soften a bit, and the thunder faded to a low growl in the distance. Occasional flashes of lightning weren't as bright as they had been. The sky lightened a shade of gray and the clouds thinned somewhat, but the storm wasn't completely gone.

Shuu only just realized how wet he was as a gust of wind sliced past his fur and bit into his skin. He stood and shook out his coat. Drops of water spun away from his fur and twisted in the air. He glanced around him. Cairo and sunk down into a sitting position, her eyes dark and empty. Reijin was perched on a large root, gripping the slippery wood with her claws. Her ears were hanging low and water trickled down her cheek. Mud was smeared across her cheek and forehead.

When the grave was at last deep enough, the rain had fallen to a heavy drizzle, and the thunder was a mere rumble in the sky. Cairo's uncle stabbed at the mud beside the grave with the shovel and wiped his forehead. He was spattered in mud. His hair was now a limp and lifeless shape, sticking to his forehead.

He made his way over to Jaiko's body and picked it up easily. Cairo sprang to her feet and raced to the grave. She pulled the towel away and uncovered the old dog's face. From her pocket she pulled out a small rose, the petals heavy with rain and then stem somewhat limp. But it was still alive. Her fingers were torn and crusted with dried blood. The thorns were tipped with red. Cairo tucked the rose into the blanket and then pulled the cloth back over Jaiko's head. She spread the towel over the blanket and then turned away stiffly.

Reijin slowly crept up to the edge of the grave. Rigidly she stared down into the grave, her expression blank. Shuu watched from a slight distance as the sheepdog's body was slowly and carefully lowered into the grave. Cairo's uncle then picked the shovel up again and began to pile the wet earth back into the hole.

Shuu flattened his ears and looked away as the thick mud was dropped over Jaiko's body.

--

Shuu's legs were encrusted with dried mud. His fur was icy to the touch from the rain. He felt stiff and chilled, but refused to come inside despite Reijin's begging. The ginger cat eventually gave up and slipped inside as night drew near.

The skies had cleared up by now, and a few dusty stars had come out. The moon, however, didn't appear. A new moon. Perhaps one of the darkest nights. Such a fitting end to a dark day.

Shuu slowly became numb as the cold rushes of wind lashed at him. Somehow he managed to ignore the gnawing chill. Sleep began to pull at him, but he struggled to stay awake. His thoughts somehow turned to May. He wondered how well she was coping. He hoped she wasn't missing him too much… He shook the thoughts away, determined not to let the past get the best of him.

Shuu's eyes found the forest trail snaking through the trees and he stared into the shadowed depths of the forest, wishing somehow things would get better. And praying the sun would rise quickly tonight.

--

Shuu woke up to find himself staring at the cold gray dawn. The sun had only just started to rise above the treetops. A thin golden light flickered and wavered low in the sky. He heard the low creak of the porch swing chains. Sitting up, he shook out his fur and stretched his mud-stiffened legs.

He turned and wasn't all that surprised to see Cairo sitting on the swing. Her eyes were half closed and she had dark rings beneath her stormy eyes. He wondered if she'd slept at all last night. Something told him she didn't.

"Can't sleep either, eh?"

Shuu glanced at her, and then looked away.

"You okay? Something must be troubling you."

Shuu's eye twitched, and he brushed his forepaw over the damp red cloth hanging around his neck.

"Ah, I see. You miss your previous human, don't you?"

Shuu tensed.

"I've heard German Shepard dogs don't hand out their love and trust easily, but once they have, it's nearly impossible to destroy that trust." Cairo sighed. "Listen, I don't know what made you leave but I do know that you're not happy here. I think you just need some time to sort out your thoughts. You're welcome to leave any time."

Shuu still didn't turn to meet her gaze.

Maybe she was right. Maybe he did just need a little time to clear his head before going back.

He felt a strange pulling sensation, and fidgeted anxiously. He had a sudden feeling to check to see if May was all right. He couldn't explain it, but he knew he had to leave.

He turned to face Cairo, flicked his muzzled towards the woods, and barked.

"I knew it," Cairo said, smiling slightly.

Shuu shot down the porch steps and dashed across the yard. He paused halfway across and looked over his shoulder. He met Cairo's eyes in a silent thank you.

"I should be thanking you, dog," Cairo told him, waving. "You saved me some time ago."

Shuu's eyes clouded in confusion.

Cairo laughed softly. "Even if you forgot already, I wouldn't forget the eyes of the one who pulled me from that fire. Now get out of here and go make up with her. I think she needs you now more than ever.

Shuu nodded, and sped off into the trees, ears flat as a rush of wind tore through the forest.

**May's POV**

May tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she locked the front door. She was extremely pleased that the traces of the previous day's storm were nothing but a memory. There were only a few large puddles of water, and the mud was already drying.

May would be meeting Dawn at Alec's place, where she'd finally take Tsuki home. She still felt a tear in her heart when she thought of Shuu, but she was also excited about brining Tsuki home. The young pup was so lively and playful. But she was also tough and strong willed. May saw this the last time she'd gone to pick out a pup. Tsuki had gotten into a scuffle with one of her littermates over a rawhide bone, and had pinned him to the ground and nipped at his ears and throat until he'd whimpered pleadingly to release him.

Tsuki was also intelligent, but May would have to be firm when training her. The little dog's attention wandered easily and everything seemed to distract her, which could turn into a problem in the future.

As May backed into the street, she paused. Something was urging her to wait just a few minutes before leaving, but she shook away the feeling and drove off down the street, turning left at the stop sign and pulling onto the road that would take her to Alec's house.

**Shuu's POV**

Shuu reached May's house just as her car backed out of the driveway and headed down the street. Shuu raced after the car, trying to catch her attention. He barked once, a raspy yip easily drowned out by the hum of the engine.

Already tired out by his full-speed run there, Shuu's pace slowed until he stood in the center of the street, panting, staring after May's car as it turned the corner and vanished from sight.

"D-Damn it all…too…too late…"

Shuu tried to catch his breath quickly, and, despite the stiff throb in his legs and the pricks of pain in his pads, began to lope in the direction May's car had vanished in, following his instincts more than anything.

* * *

**Me: Hope you liked it, despite the shortness  
May: Poor Jaiko  
Drew: The chapter wasn't bad  
Me & May: O.o  
Drew: What?  
May:Did you just compliment the chapter?  
Drew: ...I don't know  
May: -falls down anime style- What do mean you don't know?!  
Drew: Want me to read you the definition of the phrase 'I don't know'?  
May: No!  
Sesshy: Yawn. You mortals bore me  
Me: T-T  
May: Why are you sad?  
Me: Because there are only two more updates after this: the last chapter and the epilogue  
May: -gasp-  
Me: I will miss writing this fanfic  
May: I'll miss the Author's notes  
Drew: I won't  
Sesshy: I second that  
Me: T-T Jerks. I bet you'd be best friends  
May: R&R!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ahhh, last chapter I'm sad to say T-T It saddens me to say, but this is not yet the end. There is still the epilogue after this. I'm too nervouse to write an Author's Note, so I'll just plunge right into it:**

**I don't own Pokemon and I never will and that is final. **

* * *

Despite it being the first time driving there on her own, May reached Alec's house fairly earlier than she thought she would. Dawn's car was already parked in the front yard. As May shut off the ignition and left her car, she could clearly hear all of Alec's dogs and puppies barking loudly.

May rapped loudly on the front door, which was soon answered by Dawn. Smiling, her friend opened the door wider and shouted, "Alec! She's here!"

"Oh, good." Alec appeared behind Dawn a moment later. "I have all the paperwork, her files, and everything. You can go ahead and take her out of her kennel, if you want."

"Okay, thanks," May replied. "I'll go get her now." Leaving her purse on the kitchen table, she exited the house through the back door and entered the kennel. She spotted Tsuki's kennel immediately, and the little German Shepard puppy bounced up on her hind paws when she saw May. Tsuki yipped excitedly and pawed at the chain link that served as the gate to her kennel.

May chuckled and slid the bolt locking the gate out of place and allowed the door to swing open. Tsuki shot at and pranced eagerly around May's feet, her eyes glittering with excitement. May grinned and picked up the squirming puppy. Tsuki licked May's cheek and barked loudly.

Outside, Tsuki looked around the yard, her tongue lolling. Suddenly she went rigid, and May followed her gaze. With a low moan, she tightened her grip on Tsuki. But the dog wriggled and twisted free of her grasp and leapt to the ground. Tsuki yipped and loped after a small brown squirrel near the fence marking the end of Alec's property.

"No! Tsuki, come back!" May wailed.

Tsuki, however, only sped up, thinking it as a game and howled. Startled, the squirrel turned large black eyes towards the dog speeding towards it and scurried away into Kris's yard. Tsuki added an extra burst of speed and ducked beneath the fence. May ran after Tsuki, praying that Kris wasn't outside or hadn't heard any of Tsuki's barks.

Her prayers, however, were shattered when she heard Tsuki yelp loudly. May, shocked and furious, forced herself to speed up. When she neared the fence, she could see Kris holding a whining Tsuki by her scruff; in his other hand was an axe. Tsuki squirmed and twisted, but Kris's grip was just too strong.

"Hey, leave her alone!" May snapped loudly once she'd caught her breath. She leapt over the short fence and glared at Kris.

Kris looked at her, his expression blank. Tsuki dropped from his hand and she scampered over to May, who scooped her up and held her protectively. "This your dog?" Kris demanded.

"Yes, she is," May replied icily.

"You know I don't like trespassers."

"Yes, well, that doesn't mean you treat her like that."

"I told you last time that I'd only let it slide once."

"I'm sorry, and I'll just be leaving right now—"

Kris reached out and grabbed her shoulder, stopping her as she was about to step over the fence. "But I'm willing to forgive and forget, if you just give me a little kiss."

"What? No!" May tried to back away, but Kris grabbed her wrist and twisted it hard. May lost her grip on Tsuki, who dropped to the ground for the second time in a few short minutes. May tried to pull free but his hand only tightened. May yelped in pain Tsuki barked loudly. She tried to lunge at Kris, who merely kicked her away. Tsuki whimpered and sped off towards Alec's house. Alec pulled May around until he stood between her and the fence.

"Come on, just a quick little kiss."

"No!" May slapped his hand away and he pulled back for an instant. In that small hesitation May spun around and darted quickly into the trees at the edge of the yard. Kris swore and hefted the axe up before speeding after her.

**Shuu's POV**

Shuu was out of breath by the time he'd reached the property at the edge of town that his instincts had led him to. He didn't recognize where he was at all, but he did recognize May's car. As he rounded the corner of the house and jumped easily over the fence that surrounded the backyard he noticed a young German Shepard sprinting towards the house.

As the dog came closer, he recognized her as the same puppy May had been playing with that day she'd brought him here. He cut across her path and she skid to a stop. "What's wrong?" Shuu demanded.

The puppy's eyes widened, and then she stammered, "Th-That g-guy next door has her!"

"What? Kris?"

"I don't know his name…but he has her!"

"Where'd they go?"

"I-I think she ran into the woods…"

Shuu swore under his breath and then ordered, "Go get the attention of the others inside. Lead them to the woods, or something!" Shuu, filled with a renewed energy, began to lope off, but paused when the pup called after him.

"What are you going to do?"

"…Whatever I have to."

**Dawn's POV**

"Where's May? It can't possibly take this long."

"I really don't know, Dawn," Alec replied.

"Should we go check and see if she's okay?"

"I guess we could—"

A frantic yip brought their attention to the back door. Alec opened it and Tsuki bolted inside, panting, her eyes wide. "What's wrong, Tsuki?" Alec asked, scooping the exhausted dog into his arms.

Tsuki yipped and whined, flicking her muzzle in the direction of Kris's yard.

"Something's wrong," Dawn stated. "And I bet that Kris is responsible." She glanced out the window as Alec placed Tsuki back on the floor and reached for the phone. As her cousin dialed 911, Dawn noticed a large German Shepard dog disappear into the forest. "Hurry up and get the police—and an ambulance, just in case—over here! I have to call Misty."

--

"Why is he here?" Dawn demanded, glaring at Brendan.

"It's not my fault," Misty replied bitterly. "He lies across the street and when he saw me get into my car, he came out and asked where I was going and if I knew where May was because he hadn't seen her recently."

"What did you tell him?"

"That I had to leave right away and apparently he followed me."

"Apparently."

"I wish he'd stayed at the hospital longer."

Alec came out of the house just then, and announced, "I called the police! They'll send someone over as soon as possible. An ambulance is on the way too."

"That's great," Dawn sighed.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Misty demanded. "Stay here and hope for the best?"

"The woman I talked to told me not to take any drastic actions and to wait for the police to show up, unless absolutely necessary."

"So we just wait then?" Brendan growled. "What good will that do?"

"It's not my fault!" Alec snapped. "That's what they told me to do, and I'm not letting any of you get injured." Crossing his arms, Alec gave them a cold, warning look. "So we wait."

**Shuu's POV**

Shuu stopped at the edge of the trees and tipped his head back. He quickly scented the air and shot down a narrow path. Almost immediately he veered sharply off the trail to the left and once again followed his instincts rather than the scent trail.

He froze suddenly when he heard May's voice, but then bristled and once again charged into the trees with flattened ears when he heard Kris's threatening voice. Following the two voices Shuu soon came upon a small clearing hidden by the tightly packed trees. May was pressed against one of the trees on the opposite end of the clearing and Kris was approaching her tauntingly, a rusted axe in his hand.

With a furious snarl Shuu charged at Kris and tackled him from behind. The startled man staggered and then wheeled around. With an angry bellow he swung the axe at Shuu, who ducked down. Shuu shuddered as the axe grazed his back. Then he leaped forward and snapped angrily at Kris's ankle. Sinking his fangs deep into his flesh, Shuu growled and jerked his head back and forth. Blood streamed into the air and spattered the grass, staining it red.

Kris grunted and kicked at Shuu. Pain stabbed at him as Kris lashed out and landed a direct hit to Shuu's chest, but he ignored the pain and pulled away, only to leap back in and wrap his jaws around Kris's arm. The coppery tang of blood filled his mouth as Shuu's fangs pierced through flesh and tore at skin.

Kris swore loudly and tried to wrench his arm from Shuu's jaws. Shuu bit down harder, forcing a spray of blood to fill his throat. He saw Kris begin to grope for his dropped axe, and then noticed May slowly creep towards the fallen weapon. As Kris's hand came closer to the handle, May lunged forward and grabbed the axe. With quick flick of her wrist she thrust the axe into the bushes.

Kris hissed and kicked at Shuu again. With his free hand he reached into his pocket and rummaged around. When he took his hand from his pocket Kris held a light. He fumbled with it for a moment and then a flame sputtered to life with a sharp click. Kris quickly aimed the lighter at Shuu's face and sent a spray of embers into his face. Shuu recoiled and yelped loudly. He pawed at his face as the small flames burned his flesh and fur.

**May's POV**

May gasped as Shuu jumped back, yelping. Kris stumbled to his feet and turned to her menacingly, a lighter in his hands. May tried t stand and get away, but Kris rushed at her and grabbed her by her shirt collar.

Snarling angrily in her face, he slammed her roughly against the tree behind her. Her head crashed against the tree trunk with a sickening crunch. A groan escaped her lips and she went limp. Kris snorted and dropped her. May slumped down and lay against the tree, unconscious.

Kris held up the lighter and started another flame. His expression grim, he touched the flame to some nearby undergrowth and stepped back they instantly went up in flame. With a sinister laugh, he fled into the trees in the opposite direction of the growing flames.

**Shuu's POV**

Shuu staggered up, wincing from the pain of burnt skin. He jumped when he saw May, unconscious, but froze when he saw the flames starting up and steadily rise on the left side of the clearing. Panic seized Shuu in a tight grip and a rush of memories came back to him.

_-Flashback-_

_A thick shroud of smoke surrounded him, choking him. Flames twisted and writhed before him, dancing across the withered black wood. Behind him a wall of crimson flame came steadily closer, flickering in the smoke-filled air and lashing the long tongues of fire wildly. Above him a section of the ceiling weakened and then caved in, showering him in embers and soot._

_He instinctively put up his arms to protect his face and neck, but it wouldn't do much. Another section of the roof caved in, forcing him down to the floor. The fire leaped across the room and ignited the fallen debris in an instant. His lungs filled with smoke as he struggled to breathe. Flames swirled around him as his vision wavered and blackness swam before him. Lightheaded and short of breath, he struggled to keep his eyes open, but the debris pressed down against him and crushed him._

_Another column of smoke poured into his face, and he choked, and coughed weakly. He felt himself fading…it was only a matter of time… Finally drained of his remaining strength, he coughed once more and went limp…_

_-End Flashback-_

Shuu jolted and his heart skipped a beat when the feeling of suffocation came back to him. The images of the fire was etched into his mind…and the feeling of despair of the fire and debris crushing him to death and the smoke filling his lungs…it was too much!

How did he remember this?! He had never been caught in a fire before! Or…or had he? He wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe…maybe…it was only a hallucination caused by the fire…yeah, that's it. But…it had been too detailed, and he clearly remembered the feeling of being cut off from air and the intense heat…

Was…was he going crazy?

Another new image leapt at him.

_-Flashback-_

_She was begging him not to go._

_He didn't want to…but he had to._

_She looked at him pleadingly, her eyes filled with despair. He wanted to comfort her…but couldn't find the right words. He knew it was dangerous, he just wouldn't admit it. He didn't want to worry her more than she already was._

_If she could only understand…_

_Somehow…somehow he convinced her everything would turn out all right…_

_A hollow promise._

_How could he promise her that?_

_He let her down…he never came back…he should've listened…_

_He never should have gone…_

_-End Flashback-_

Shuu staggered back, writhing as though in pain. What was wrong with him? Where were these thoughts and memories coming from?! He'd never experienced this in his life! Well, in **this **life. Was it possible…?

He suddenly remembered the growing fire and May…May! She was in danger. He couldn't—**wouldn't**—let her burn to death as he once did.

Shuu shook his head and loped up to May. He nudged her gently, hoping to awaken her. She stirred, but didn't awake. Damn that Kris. How hard had he slammed her against that tree?! Shuu forced himself to stay calm. Getting mad right now wouldn't help at all. He sat beside May's unconscious frame and gently took her hand in his mouth. He moved her hand towards his neck, near the bandana. Just as he'd hoped, May self-consciously curled her fingers and tightly gripped the ragged cloth.

He cautiously stood up, with May hanging limply. He took a few slow steps, and steadily quickened his pace, his confidence growing with every step that brought him and May away from the blaze behind them.

As he charged through the undergrowth and trees, searching for the path, the rest of his memories came back to him.

He wasn't crazy.

He'd been alive before this…a human.

He'd known May…loved her…

But the night of the fire…it had changed everything. She'd warned him, and he'd brushed it off. He wished he'd listened…he wished he could turn back time…get another chance…

No!

He _had_ another chance, and he wouldn't put it to waste. He'd save May, he'd spare her from the same fate that had claimed his previous life. He didn't want her to burn to death. He couldn't imagine a death worse than that…especially if there was something he could do to save her.

At last he found the trail and gently propped her up against a tree at the edge of the trail and glanced over his shoulder. The fire as a small amber speck, but it was growing at a steady pace. He'd have to be fast for this to work.

**Misty's POV**

She had been pacing frantically for a while now. She couldn't help herself. She had every reason to be worried! However, that worry soon turned into dread when she saw a curl of gray smoke rise into the air. Stammering, she pointed towards the smoke and managed to choke out, "L-Look!"

Dawn, Alec, and Brendan glanced in the direction she was pointing in and gaped in surprise. Dawn stuttered, "I—I'll call the fire department" and took out her cell phone, quickly tapping out the number.

"Oh God, oh God," Misty moaned. "I hope May's able to get away from there!"

Dawn began pacing as she spoke to whoever had picked up the phone. Suddenly she looked up and her eyes widened. Misty followed her gaze and she herself was startled to see a large German Shepard burst into the open. The dog looked frantic yet determined, and took long powerful strides. Crimson stained his fur, and he looked a little worn out. Misty saw a flash of emerald, and immediately recognized the dog.

"I—Isn't that Shuu?" she demanded.

Brendan flinched visibly at his name.

Shuu skid to a stop in front of Misty, tense, his eyes enflamed with determination. He barked several times rapidly and spun around. He streaked off a few dozen yards, stopped, looked back at them, and then loped a few more feet closer to the woods.

"He's wants us to follow…," Misty mused.

"Do you think he knows where May is?" Dawn asked, completely forgetting the other person on the line.

"Maybe," Misty replied. "We just have to follow and pray he knows where she is."

"Okay." Dawn turned her attention back to her cell. "Yes, please just send a fire truck or something to the address I just gave you. Please. I'll meet you in front of the house. Yes, okay. Thanks." Dawn snapped her cell phone shut. "Okay, they're sending someone. I'll follow you guys and then come back to lead everyone to wherever Shuu takes us."

They heard a sudden wailing of sirens in the distance.

"The ambulance and police," Alec stated. "Go on ahead, I'll deal with them."

They nodded, and Shuu barked again before speeding off into the trees.

**Shuu's POV**

He glanced back only once to make sure they were following.

They were.

But they were so damn slow!

Nothing compared to his speed!

Could he really have been as slow as them at some point? He must have, even though he couldn't remember how fast he was able to run when he was human. It had all come back to him, and in all honesty he'd been overwhelmed at first. A part of him couldn't believe it, any of it. But another part knew it was true…he couldn't deny it.

But…he _remembered._

He remembered almost everything. Including his name…his _real_ name.

Shuu may have been the name that May had given to him when they'd first met again, but it wasn't his real name—_Drew. _That was his real name.

He made a sharp turn as the path snaked around a massive oak. Already he could see the furious crimson/amber glare of the fire. It had gotten much closer in the short time he'd been away. The speed at which it spread scared him.

Smoke filled his nostrils and then overwhelming crushing sensation gripped him for an instant. But he quickly shook off the fear. He swept his gaze alongside the path until he saw May's frame through the blinding smoke. He darted into the smoke and raced to May's side.

He touched his nose to her cheek and pawed at her shoulder, desperately trying to awaken her.

His ear twitched as he heard Misty call: "Shuu! Where are you? Shuu!"

Unwilling to leave May alone, he barked sharply and then turned his attention back to May.

Within moments they'd made their way to them. Dawn wasn't with them—she must have gone back for help.

A growl rose his throat when he saw Brendan. His lips curled back and he growled. Brendan, however, crouched beside May and shoved him away. He snarled angrily as Brendan grabbed May's shoulders and shook her slightly. May groaned and stirred. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Ugh…where…where am I?" she choked out.

"May, are you okay? What happened?" Misty demanded.

"I don't…oh, Kris…he chased me into the woods and…Shuu! Where is he? He saved me…he stopped Kris…"

She moaned, and Misty ordered sharply, "Stop talking! You're wasting your energy!"

May tried to scowl, but instead let out another moan of pain and went limp against the tree.

They heard a sudden rush of voices. A spray of water cut through the smoke and touched the blazing flames. With a hiss, the flames were doused as steam escaped into the air. Slowly but surely the smoke began to clear, and within minutes the air was somewhat breathable again. Dawn and a pair of paramedics appeared through the thinning smog. The paramedics held a stretched between them, which they rested on the ground.

Hastily, with some help from Misty and Dawn—they wouldn't let Brendan help—they got may onto the stretcher and then began back towards the ambulance. Brendan trailed after them, and Dawn and Misty turned back to him before following. They called to him, by his other name, and with a low sigh he padded after them, practically leading them out of the woods.

They exited the forest just in time to see the ambulance disappear down the dirt road with Brendan following close behind in his own car.

"What a damned stalker that guy is," Misty remarked bitterly.

"I could care less about Brendan," Dawn muttered. "I just hope that May's all right."

"She should be. It could've been worse if Shuu hadn't been there," Misty pointed out.

Dawn nodded the two girls looked at him, who had made his way over to the back porch and lain there silently, his head on his paws. His emerald eyes were dull and blank, his expression solemn.

"So…while May's gone, what are we supposed to do with him?"

Misty was unsure of how to respond. She didn't really know. She didn't have much experience with dogs—much less a large German Shepard—and she doubted she'd even get along with him anyway.

"I don't know. What can we do?"

-A Week Later-

He was pacing restlessly on the back porch. His ears were flat and his fur bristled. He was sick of this place—he just wanted to get away! Alec was treating him like some poor unwanted or abused stray, murmuring sympathetically every so often, but mostly kept his distance. Tsuki was a nervous wreck. She was terrified and trembling all the time, as if expecting Kris to come after her at any time.

He didn't want to stay here anymore. He had to leave _now._

Without a single backwards glance he leapt from the back porch and raced around the corner of the house, the wind tearing at his fur. His paws only just came onto the dirt road when Alec noticed him. He ignored Alec's cries to return with ease, and sped up.

He refused to stay any longer.

He was tired of the past.

**May's POV**

Today she'd finally be released from the hospital. She should be happy—she wanted to be happy. But she had a growing sense of foreboding as she checked out of the hospital and met her friends, Misty and Dawn, in the lobby. The sense of foreboding intensified when she saw her Misty's grim expression and Dawn's anxious look.

Expecting the worse, May came up to her friends and tensed herself. She was still, however, shocked and hurt by what they told her next.

"Um, May, we don't know how to tell you this…," Dawn began.

"Then _I'll _tell her," Misty intervened. Turning back to May, she said bluntly, "There's no easy way to say this, so: Shuu's left."

"W—What?" May stammered. "What do you mean he left?"

"Exactly what I said," Misty responded. "A few days ago Alec saw him taking off down the road and he wouldn't come back when Alec called. He phoned me and Dawn and we searched for a few hours. We didn't find a single trace. He just ran off."

"Why?"

Misty shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I know it's hard, but hey, there's still Tsuki, right?"

"I guess…"

"Not very enthusiastic, I see," Misty noted.

"Misty!" Dawn hissed.

May sighed, "I just thought he'd finally come back for good."

"Maybe he came back to save you," Misty said thoughtfully. "I've heard that animals can sometimes sense when something bad is going to happen."

"_I _think we should stop talking about him," Dawn interrupted loudly.

"No one cares what you think," Misty said with mock annoyance—or maybe it was real. Who knows?

May shook her head. "I have a pretty bad headache right now," she told them. "I think I'll just be heading home…"

"In a taxi…? We could drive you," Misty offered.

May shook her head. "Nah. I need a little fresh air to clear my head right now." May pushed past her friends and trudged outside into the warming air. A sudden breeze tugged at her hair and whipped it across her face. With her hands in her jacket pockets, May slowly disappeared form sight.

* * *

**I bet some of you are a little disappointed in how it ended. Who can blame ya? I don't. I know I would be too. But the epilogue comes next and MAYBE things will work out. Then again...maybe not. Who knows for sure? I don't and I'm supposed to be the author. I'll write the epilogue and have it posted soon, I think.**

**R&R**

**NO FLAMES! I WILL NOT TOLERATE THEM!!**

**Sorry if it was...suckish. I'm not good with last chapters. Still, there is the epilogue to look forward to...**


	12. Chapter 12

**Long awaited last chapter. I know it's short. Sue me. But I liked how it came out. I really hope you all do too. But the way it turned out made me really happy :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own squat, so bug off**

* * *

A few nights later, once May had recovered enough from the smoke inhalation, she decided to visit Drew's grave, something she hadn't been able to do recently. The night was calm. The sky was clear and smooth black, with a thin sliver of a moon shrouded in a small, wisp of a cloud. Very faintly she could see a few glimmering, dusty yellow pinpricks of faded stars against the blackness. Lately everything seemed faded to her.

The tall, black iron gates of the cemetery hung open slightly, with the left side of the gate sagging, almost as if one of the hinges had broken. The small rust spots had definitely grown since the last time she'd visited. Coming up to the gates, she pressed her fingertips against the cold, rough surface and pushed the heavy gate open. A low, sharp creak broke the calm silence of the night and pierced her ears. It seemed especially loud seeing as most of the trip here had been in utter silence.

Finally she entered the large, spacious cemetery and came onto the time-aged path she'd traveled down so many times… Almost as if in a trance she rounded the bend in the path as it curved around a large oak tree and headed off towards one of the few willow trees there. May gently touched the trunk of the tree. The wood was soft, smooth, and cool to the touch. May looked up to see long, slender branches weaved against the sky. Leaves had begun to grow, already several inches long and somewhat slender as well. She even saw a small flower bud or two nestled on some of the branches and hidden from sight by the thickening leaves.

Yes, spring would be nice this year.

Finally May turned her attention to the grave beneath the willow tree's outstretched branches. She didn't need to look at its surface to know what the inscription said—she knew it by heart. As May pressed her back against the willow and slowly slid into a sitting position, she closed her eyes and remained so for a while.

She sat in complete silence, save for the occasional rustle of leaves by a soft breeze, for what seemed an eternity. A strange sense of calm washed over her and she inhaled deeply. After a short pause, she opened her eyes and sat up straight, her eyes searching vainly through the darkness which seemed to tighten around her with every passing second. She had sensed something…a presence, maybe…

May began to stand now, a little creeped out. She may have recovered her strength, at least a little, but she'd still be too weak to put up a fight should anyone try to harm her. Perhaps it was time to get back home…

She heard a soft rustle, but softer, not as sharp, almost like paws treading silently over grass. She squinted, trying to see through the shadows and only just made out a faint silhouette crouched down low, moving cautiously on all fours, slowly creeping forward…towards her…

She sucked in a deep breath.

_Please, no…_, she thought.

She backed up a few paces and the shadow inched steadily closer. Now she could see the soft, pale green glow of eyes…and she suddenly felt weak. She slowly sank to her knees and gazed, slightly shocked, at the low-crouched Shepard dog edging closer and closer. Within a few seconds the dog was close enough for her to make out its features…tan fur, black markings…green eyes.

May stared unblinkingly as the dog crept slowly towards her, until he sat with his nose inches from her own. She stared into his somewhat expressionless face, his eyes wary. He held something in his mouth, and a split second later something fluttered past May's fingers and landed on the soft earth between her hands and his paws.

Cautiously, as if afraid to take her gaze away from him, as though he might disappear, she looked down and her heart skipped a beat. She gingerly picked up the plant and held it delicately in her hand.

The stem was long and thin, with two large, soft leaves with ragged razor edges. Small greenish-brown thorns were spread out randomly down the slim stem, but they were small and the tips dull. The rose itself was full and red, with layers of soft, delicate crimson petals. Beautiful and breath-taking, by far the largest, fullest of the roses he'd brought back yet.

May met his gaze again, and whispered, "Oh, Shuu…thanks you."

In reply Shuu gently touched his nose to her cheek and she stroked his fur.

"Where have you been this week, huh? You had me worried."

_Somewhere…here and there…_

"Are you okay, though?"

_Mostly._

"Don't you want to come back, though?"

**Shuu/Drew's POV**

He hesitated, a little unsure. His turned to the gravestone, his eyes sparking. Maybe… He held out his forepaw and brushed the smooth stone surface with his forepaw. The stone was cold and somewhat rough to the touch.

"Hmm? What is it, Shuu?"

_Please…please…_

Again, he brushed the stone with his paw, this time tapping at the name—_his_ name—engraved in the cement. He moved his paw away for a moment, before tapping at his name again. Again he met her eyes, this time a little desperately, willing her silently to understand.

Her expression, at first, was confused but her eyes began to clear after a few moments. She blinked at him, a little surprised, and opened her mouth to speak when her cell went off. She jumped at the sharp sound, so loud against the calm of the night. Hastily, she took her phone out of her purse, fumbled with it for a few moments, and then snapped it open and put it to her ear.

"Hello?" She waited for a second, her expression one of confusion. Then it changed to slight annoyance as she replied, slightly exasperated, "Brendan? What is it?"

_Bad luck…damn it…_

He cocked his ears, straining to hear the full conversation when May snapped, "Of course I'm all right. Why wouldn't I be?" Another small pause, and then: "Yes, I know someone tried to kill me a few days ago, but I'm all right, aren't I?"

He heard a small snatch of what Brendan said next. "…are you really?"

"Yes!" May sighed. "Sorry for snapping, just a little impatient, is all."

His ears flattened, his fur prickling with a small stab of jealousy. But then he sighed and stood. He began to slowly back away into the shadows once again, only his luminous green eyes visible. His paws made not a sound as they moved over the earth and brushed across the occasional fallen leaf. His steps were muffles by the short-cropped grass, which he found much better.

_Perhaps…perhaps another try…another time…_

**May's POV**

"Listen, Brendan, I have to go now. No, I can't talk a little longer, I have _to go!_" May quickly snapped her phone shut before her could say anything and turned her attention back to Shuu…except, he wasn't there. Her eyes quickly scanned the area, but she could really see very much in the dimness.

Suddenly she saw a shadow moving quickly yet soundlessly away from her, head low and ears flat. Startled, May's pulse quickened and she cried, "Shuu! Wait!"

By now he was so far into the shadows she couldn't even see he silhouette. But then…two small, glowing emerald orbs appeared, only for a moment, and then vanished. May scrambled to her feet and tried to chase after him, but by the time she reached the spot where she'd last seen him…he was gone. Not a single trace.

May sighed, her heart heavy with dismay. _I suppose…I'll just have to wait…_

-Several Weeks Later-

May took the key from the lock and opened the front door, carefully stepping in and shutting the door swiftly so Tsuki wouldn't get out. The young German Shepard puppy yipped excitedly, bounding up on her hind legs and placing her forepaws against May's knee. Tsuki barked, a high-pitched sound, and May smiled, ruffling the fur on her head.

Panting happily, Tsuki dropped back onto all fours in a sitting position, her tail thumping wildly as May stroked her fur, and then trotted at May's heels when she finally pulled her hand away.

In the living room, May stopped at the small table in the corner of the room and tapped a button on the answering machine. She had several, and when she checked, a pulse of anger and annoyance stabbed at her when she recognized Brendan's voice. She erased the message without listening to it. The other messages turned out to be from Brendan, too. Again frustration clawed at her as she erased those messages as well.

May yawned and stretched, then smiled down at Tsuki. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired. Time for bed."

Tsuki yipped once and raced into the front hall, with May following at a slower pace. As she reached the first step, she thought she heard a light scratching at the front door. She listened for a moment, but heard nothing and shrugged it off as her imagination. She took a step up and the scratching came again. Now Tsuki was barking, her eyes trained on the front door. Confused rather than worried, May waited until she heard the scratching sound for the third time before moving towards the door.

Tsuki followed closely, ears flat and hackles rising, tensing. She seemed as confused as May, and slightly curious, too.

May clutched the doorknob in one hand, took a deep breath, and then turned the lock. The lock slid from place and May slowly opened the door a crack and, seeing nothing there, threw it open fully. At first she saw nothing, but then noticed something lying on the doormat.

She crouched down, her eyes widening slightly.

It was a rose, full and red with a long stem and several large, fuzzy leaves. The rose's many layered petals waved a little in the breeze, soft and delicate, fragile. The thorns had blunt, rounded tips, but where gracefully curved upward nonetheless. A rose to match the one Shuu had given her a few weeks ago. May picked the rose up and held it in one hand. She held the rose up to her nose and inhaled its sweet scent, before pulling it away and standing.

Her clear, sapphire eyes scanned the darkness of her front yard, but saw nothing. She turned her gaze to the street, dimly lit by the amber glow of the streetlights. Again, she saw nothing. Tsuki extended her head outside slowly, hesitantly, her ears cocked and nose twitching as she tried to pick up a familiar or unfamiliar scent, but strangely found none. Disappointment welling up within her, May reluctantly nudged Tsuki back inside and closed the front door.

With a sigh, she motioned to Tsuki and began heading upstairs. Once in her room May deposited the rose in the vase on her bureau and moved towards the bathroom. Tsuki curled up at the end of the bed and waited as May took a quick, hot shower and changed into her pajamas. When she finally came out, Tsuki wagged her tail and barked softly. May patted her head as she passed and then sat on the bed.

Stifling a yawn, she reached for her bedside lamp and pinched the end of the chain between her forefinger and thumb. As she was about to click the lamp off, she heard a muffled bark. She froze, and looked at Tsuki. Tsuki had raised her head off her forepaws and was staring with a bewildered expression at the window. Obviously, she had not made the sound, but she had heard it.

May followed Tsuki's gaze to the window and waited.

The bark came again, louder, clearer. It was a familiar bark. May had heard it many times before, but not recently. Se thought she'd never hear it again, in fact. She hesitated, but three more rapid barks convinced her and she practically raced to the window. She quickly undid the clasp preventing the window from being opened and threw it open.

Clutching the window sill so tight her knuckles went white, May leaned out, her eyes repeatedly scanning the yard. Tsuki pranced around eagerly at her feet but May ignored her. Suddenly she caught a small movement and focused on that spot. After a few seconds she saw a pair of eyes gaze into her own.

Two large, glittering emerald eyes, luminous green in the thick shadows. May's breath caught in her throat as she locked her eyes onto the pair staring at her through the darkness, and then, the eyes blinked, and disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.

May finally took in a deep breath and pulled away from the window, closing and locking it.

As she made her way back to bed and flicked the lamp off, she smiled to herself. As she slid into bed and pulled the covers around her, and as Tsuki once again curled up at her feet, she closed her eyes and thought:

_It's okay. I can wait until you're ready…_

…

…_I can wait_…

* * *

**So...how is it? Probably not the ending the fans wanted, but I mean, it was either that or no sequal. And everyone wants the sequal, right? Right.**

**So. The sequal will be up later, probably when I finish _Divided_ and am about halfway through _Dancing with a Shadow_ and _Blood's Vengacne._ Or when I get the first four-plus chapters written. Don't know. Whichever comes first. But...I need help with a title name...**

**Haunted Sequal Summary: It's been a little over a year since May last saw Shuu, a little over a year since Kris attacked her and she's moved on and found a job at a nearby college in town. But soon she recieves threatening messages. As the violence escalates, May's past resurfaces and friends and enemies from that past reappear. But...who's gonna save her this time?**

**So that's the summary. Does anyone have a title idea? I'd love to hear it. You'd get credit for the title for sure, I can promise that, and anyone that submits an idea (whether I use it or not) gets a virtual cookie. :D**


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